The Four Horsemen
by SnakeTheJake
Summary: Mae Borowski's mundane life is put to a sudden end when the zombie apocalypse hits Possum Springs. Now, Mae and her friends are forced to fight for survival in a world devoid of hope. (Contains spoilers for Night in the Woods)
1. An Odd Morning

Mae Borowski winced as the bright rays of the rising winter sun burned through her eyelids. She raised a shaky arm in a vain attempt to shield her groggy eyes. Cracking an eye open, she glanced at her laptop and flipped the screen to see the time.

11:47

 _Probably time to get up_. Mae thought to herself as she forced herself to sit up. Grabbing her shoes and slipping on a fresh shirt and some jeans, she was ready to start the day. Taking another look at her laptop, Mae saw she had a message from Gregg.

Bea and Angus have been really quiet lately... I wonder if they're okay. Mae thought to herself. It had been nearly two months since their run-in with the strange murder-cult in the woods. To Mae and her friends' relief, no one found out about the incident. Angus dealt with it in his own way, not talking about it or acknowledging it happened. Bea claimed their actions were in self-defense and didn't talk about it much anyway. Gregg was the only person who was willing to talk about it, and even then it didn't come up in conversation much.

Mae shook the thoughts from her head and clicked on Gregg's icon. A small text box popped up beside it.

"Hey Mae! Today has been a slow day so far, so I thought some band practice would spice it up! Drop by the Snalcon when you're ready to jam. Sincerely, Greggory :)"

Mae couldn't stop the small smile that spread across her face. Things were finally getting back to normal. She hoped so. She wanted the old Bea back, and the old Angus as well. Gregg always managed to keep his spirits high. His unbridled joy seemed to be contagious, which Mae was thankful for.

Mae slumped down the stairs to the ground floor of her small-town home. She had always loved this house. It seemed to be the perfect size for their... semi-perfect family.

"Hey dear, off to see your friends?" Mae heard her mother call from the kitchen table behind her.

"Yep, we're also having band practice later." Mae half-yelled back. Mae turned and gave a wave to her mom. "I'll see you later, love you."

"Alright, just be safe. I'll be heading to the church in a bit, so if you need me, go there." She said in her motherly tone.

"Okay, see ya." Mae opened the door and stepped out into the brisk winter air.

Mae always liked the cold. Unlike her friend Bea, though that was probably because she had scales rather than fur. However, it was the wind that she didn't like. One strong gust of frigid winter air was enough to chill most anyone to the bone, regardless of the amount of fur they have.

Thankfully, there was nothing more than the occasional gentle breeze. Mae stepped onto the sidewalk and began her trek to the Snack Falcon.

Everything was normal, and Mae was happy. Her friends were safe, those hooded people in the woods were gone, and she finally told her parents why she dropped out of college. She had told them a few weeks after the night in the mine. It was a load off of her shoulders, but it wasn't easy. Her parents were very understanding and kind when she told them. Everything was falling into place. Maybe she could finally be happy.

But something was... off.

On the porch of the three-story striped blue house that Mae passes everyday was... no one.

 _Where's Selmers_? Mae asked herself. Selmers sat on her front porch every day. Every single day. Even on the days she was sick or tired, she would be there. She would normally tell Mae if she were going somewhere, but Mae couldn't recall a single thing.

"Awww... I was really looking forward to that poem." Mae moped as she continued her journey up the hill that lead to the rest of town. As Mae looked around, she noticed how many people she wasn't seeing. Normally the streets and roads were bustling with life, but today... it was like most of them had just vanished.

Not wanting to dwell on the thought any longer, she quickened her pace. Her walk now seeming more like a run as she darted past the empty alleys and quiet streets of Possum Springs. Maybe it was just a slow day for, well, everyone.

"Finally!" Mae panted as she rested her hands on her knees. She was standing in front the Snack Falcon, Gregg's kingdom. "Crap, forgot to drop by and see the others." Mae kicked herself for forgetting to drop by Angus and Bea's place of work. "I'll see them at band practice, I guess."

Mae stepped through the single glass door, instantly feeling the change in atmosphere. Mae closed her eyes in bliss as she absorbed the warmth.

" **MAAAAAAAE**!" A high pitched, somewhat screechy voice screamed from the front counter. Mae opened her eyes to see Gregg waving his arms in a spastic manner while wearing a grin that stretched ear to ear.

" **GREEEEEEEEEEGG**!" Mae yelled back in a desperate attempt to match his own level of excitement, sadly falling short. Mae held her arms out wide to add some extra flair.

"What is the ups, dude?" He asked in a calmer tone.

"Not much. Though it seems like everyone else in town is pretty busy, or tired, or... something." Mae answered.

"Yeah, it's been a pretty slow day here at the Snalcon." Gregg turned from Mae and stepped out of a small half-door. He walked over so he was beside Mae. "I've only had a handful of customers come in today."

"That's strange. The Snack Falcon is like, the BEST place to get your munchies." Mae found it all strange. The Snack Falcon usually got pretty good business. Maybe it's the weather... but that never stopped many people from going out in the past. "Anyway, are you up for band practice now?"

"Sure am! If we leave now I think we'll meet 'em there." Gregg grabbed Mae's hand and led her towards the front door.

The sudden blaring of sirens stopped them in their tracks. The sirens sounded close, maybe a few blocks down. The noise was slowly growing louder until bright flashing red and blue lights of a police cruiser sped by the thin glass door. And as quickly as they came, they were gone.

"Geez, what was that all about?" Gregg wondered as he pushed the door open to see the car disappear over the large hill Mae had climbed earlier.

"No idea. Nothing seemed too unusual on my way over here. I mean, it's Possum Springs, what's the worst that could happen? Especially with Aunt Mall Cop on the case!" Mae giggled to herself. "So, band practice, yes?"

* * *

"Sup Cap'n~! We got some band practice later today if your beautiful voice is up for it! Let me know so I can tell the rest of our merry crew! XOXO, Greggory ;D"

Angus chuckled at Gregg's email. He loved waking up every morning to his boyfriend's messages. He shot back a quick confirmation text telling him band practice was on.

Angus sat up from his bed and stretched with a yawn. He reached for his glasses on the nightstand and set them gently on his face. Gregg must have gone to work early again. Angus was a relatively light sleeper and Gregg always manages to slip out of bed, get showered, get dressed, and make breakfast without him noticing. Angus always found his stealth skills impressive, given his usual rambunctiousness. He looked at the alarm clock beside his bed.

11:03

He had slept a little longer than he had wanted, but it was his off day and he wasn't going to complain. Angus was a tad upset that Gregg had to go to work while he lazed about at home, but Gregg couldn't be happier that his "Cap'n" was given a chance to rest.

Angus made his way to the bathroom to get a shower. He stepped in, immediately feeling the warm refreshing water envelop him. A smile of delight broke through his normally stoic features. Angus finished with his shower and toweled off most of the water.

Breakfast time... Angus envisioned the beautiful plate of scrambled eggs and bacon that would soon be his. He began by turning on the stove and breaking out all of the necessary ingredients that he would use to achieve the perfect breakfast.

Angus skillfully prepared the rest of his breakfast, demonstrating his culinary finesse with elegance. He sat down the finished platter of beauty on the small table that sat in the kitchen. Angus took a seat and prepared the perfect bite. He held it up to the light to see his work.

"Beautiful." Angus remarked with a smile on his face. He opened his mouth to receive the food he had worked so hard to make.

 **BANG BANG BANG**

Angus's ears shot up at the sound of a loud banging at his apartment's door. He cast his gaze to the door. He couldn't hear anything... Was that really his door?

"Hello?" Angus called out. "Is someone out there?"

... ... ...

Angus kept his eyes on the door as he brought the fork up to his mouth once more. He gently set the carefully assembled bite into his mouth, gleefully chomping away at his food.

 **BANG BANG BANG**

Angus's head shot towards the door. He definitely heard it that time, and it was most certainly HIS door that made that sound. Angus stood from the table. He set down his fork and napkin and made his way to the front door. He stood in front of his apartment's door. It didn't have a peephole, which is something Angus really wanted at the moment.

Angus stood up tall, held his head high, and opened up the door.

He came face to face with a horrendous sight. His neighbor from down the hall was slumped over against the wall opposite of his door. His left arm was bent in an odd angle, one that definitely wasn't natural. He had something protruding from his back. It looked like... a butter knife? The hole from the knife left a startling amount of blood pouring down his back.

"M-Mr... Taylor?!" Angus squeaked out. His breathing quickened as he stared at the slumped man. He tried to move, but Angus was frozen in place. "You- you're bleeding! Badly!"

Mr. Taylor instantly responded to Angus's words. But rather than a verbal response, he was met with the cold, dead gaze of the older man.

The mutilated man lunged at Angus with surprising speed for his age. Angus instinctively raised his hands to shield his face. Mr. Taylor's hand closed around his shoulders and sent the both of them falling to the ground. Angus's left hand grabbed the other man's neck, his right closed around the man's wrist. Angus tried his best to push him off.

"MR. TAYLOR! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Angus yelled, desperately hoping to break through to the insane man. Angus struggled to throw the man off of him. Angus managed to lift a leg up to his chest, and with a forceful shove, he threw Mr. Taylor off of him. Angus scrambled to get to his feet, Mr. Taylor doing the same. Angus bolted for the kitchen and grabbed the first thing he saw.

Angus raised the frying pan over his head, ready to strike. Angus's breathing was getting faster. He needed his inhaler, but it was in the bedroom and he'd have to get past Mr. Taylor. Speaking of Mr. Taylor...

The crazed man stepped into the kitchen, his eyes landing on Angus. It let out an inhuman shriek as it charged at him. Angus swung the frying pan with all his might. It connected with the top of his head, immediately sending the old man to the ground. Angus raised the pan and brought it down again, earning a sickening crack.

Mr. Taylor stopped moving. The frying pan cracked his skull and did enough damage to his brain to kill him. Angus was frozen in place once again. His eyes didn't leave the body of his neighbor. He never spoke to him much, just the odd "hello" here and there.

Angus covered his mouth with his hand to contain the vomit that was threatening to come out. Angus turned from the corpse and shuffled to his bedroom. He grabbed his inhaler and picked up his phone.

"9-1-1, what is your emergency?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'd like to thank anyone who read this, you have my eternal thanks :) I also welcome any criticisms/suggestions that will help me develop my writing skills.


	2. Monsters

Bea Santello sat upright and dragged a dusty cloth across her mouth. It had not been a pleasant morning for her. Bea spent the last hour and a half vomiting on and off. Anything she had in her stomach was now gone, which reduced her to dry-heaving into her toilet. Bea sat up and leaned against the wall behind her. She took a moment to steady her breathing.

 _Damn… Knew I shouldn't have eaten that sushi._

Bea stood up slowly, her shaky legs threatening to give way. She used the wall for support as she walked down the hall that leads to the rest of her apartment. She took a seat on her couch which felt far better than the cold tiles of the bathroom floor she'd been sitting on. Her laptop had been left open after she abruptly ran to the bathroom. She noticed a small text bubble beside Gregg's icon, indicating he had sent her a message.

 _Please don't be band practice..._ Bea silently prayed that it wouldn't be one of Gregg's spontaneous band practices. She clicked on Gregg's icon.

"HEY HEY HEY! What's up Bea? We got some of that band practice later! See ya there :D" Bea read the words slowly with her patented half-lidded gaze.

 _Of course._ Bea cursed her luck. She really wasn't feeling well enough for band practice. Despite her indifferent attitude, she never missed a practice. Bea didn't want to spend the money she had on medicine, so she'd have to tough it out.

"Should probably get a move on if I want to make in time." Bea said out loud. She usually talked to herself when she was home alone to break the silence. Bea went back to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She grabbed the keys to her car and stepped out into the cold winter air.

* * *

"Here we are!" Gregg chirped excitedly as they walked into The Birthday Zone. He skipped over to the stage and took a seat on the edge. "Looks like the others aren't here yet." He said as he glanced around.

"That's fine, it gives me a chance to actually practice the song. What song are we doing today?" Mae asked, putting extra emphasis on the word 'practice'.

"Hmmm… Angus is usually the one that decides what song we do, so I guess we have to wait for him." Gregg answered, remaining oblivious to the annoyed look that Mae was giving him.

"Geez, how long ago did you tell them anyway? Angus isn't usually late and Bea has a car. If anything, they should have beaten us here." Mae moved over to the stage and took a seat by Gregg.

"Let's see…" Gregg checked the clock on the wall across from them. "I told Bea like, half an hour ago, and Angus is the one who okayed this practice in the first place." Gregg lowered his head in thought. He wouldn't let it show, but he was starting to get worried. Angus was rarely late for a practice. What if something happened to him?

Gregg's thoughts were interrupted when the front doors swung open. Mae and Gregg turned to see Molly, Mae's aunt, standing in the doorway with a concerned expression.

"Aunt Mall Cop? What are you doing here?" Mae asked as she stood up. "I promised we haven't broken the law or anything."

"Mae! Thank goodness!" Molly sighed with relief as she walked further into the room. "Listen, we have to get you home, now." She grabbed Mae's wrist and began to drag her towards the door.

"Woah! What's going on?" Mae struggled against her vice-like grip. Given Mae's much smaller size, her struggling did little to stop her.

"Mae, stop! We need to go now." Molly shouted in response. Gregg jumped to his feet and ran to Molly. He slid in front of her, blocking the door.

"Woah there! Mae didn't do anything wrong! What are you doing?!" Gregg held his arms out to either side of him.

"She didn't do anything. Look, something is going on and her parents asked me to find her. I suggest you go home too." She shoved Gregg out of her way and pushed open the front doors.

"What's going on?" Mae was starting to feel nervous. Now that she was outside, something immediately caught her attention. Something distant. It was…

 _Is that gunfire?_

Mae strained her ears to hear the noise. It had to be a few blocks off.

… **Pkow! … Pkow! …**

 _Yep. That's gunfire…_ Whoever it was, they were firing quickly.

"Aunt Molly, is that gunfire? What's happening?!" Mae's breathing became ragged.

"Listen Mae, please don't ask questions. Just get in the car, please." Molly motioned to her vehicle. She was holding the door open. Mae leaned slightly to see into the car. There was someone sitting in the front seat.

 _Wait… Angus?_ Mae's confused mind asked itself. Yep, that was definitely Angus. But why was he in Molly's car? It seemed as if his eyes were made of glass as he continued to look at the same spot on the floor. It was as if he'd became a statue. Mae could just barely make out something on the bear's sweater. It was red.

 _Oh god._

"Angus?! What are you doing in Molly's car?" Mae asked in shock. At the mention of his boyfriend's name, Gregg's ears shot up.

"Angus?" Gregg asked in bewilderment as he ran up to the car. "Angus! Are you okay?" Gregg immediately climbed into the back seat.

Mae watched as Angus turned to face Gregg. His glasses were cracked and it seemed he was on the verge of tears. Gregg threw his arms around Angus and entrapped him in a tight hug.

"Mae, now!" Molly shouted, her patience running out fast. Without another thought, Mae climbed into the backseat along with Gregg and Angus. Mae quickly shut the door and fastened her seatbelt. Molly climbed into the driver's seat and buckled herself in. "Alright, is everybody-"

 **AAAAYAAAAGHH!**

Molly's words were interrupted by an ear-piercing scream. Mae, Gregg, and Angus quickly turned to see the source of the scream. It had come from a middle-aged woman. She seemed to be about forty to fifty and she was lying on her back. She sat up and kicked her legs wildly as if to scramble away from something. There was someone standing over her. The rather tall man stared down at the woman, his head jerking occasionally. Without warning, he lunged at the downed woman.

The man grabbed her shoulder which effectively pinned her. The other arm latched around her throat. The woman thrashed about wildly, trying desperately to get the larger male off of her. The man bent down and sunk his teeth into the area where the neck curves into the shoulder. The woman let out another deafening shriek as the man tore out a large section of her neck, leaving blood to freely spray over the man's face. After a moment, her screaming ceased. The man, however, continued to feast on the woman's lifeless corpse. After ripping off most of the woman's neck, he used his massive claws to tear into her torso.

Mae couldn't look away from the gut-wrenching sight. Her stomach churned as she raised a hand to her mouth, hopefully stopping her breakfast from coming out.

Angus and Gregg were in a similar state. Though out of the three, Angus looked the most bothered.

Angus's mind went blank for a moment as he thought back to what had happened just minutes ago. He'd killed his neighbor, Mr. Taylor, with a frying pan. But that was nothing compared to what he was now witnessing. There was only one thing going through his head.

 _That could have been me._

Angus turned away from the horrendous sight. He closed his eyes and began doing exaggerated deep breaths. Gregg turned away as well after he noticed Angus trying to suppress an asthma attack. Mae quickly did the same. Her fearful gaze landed on her aunt, who seemed to be just as shocked as the rest of them.

"Molly?" Mae barely squeaked out. Noticing her aunt's lack of movement, she pushed her fear aside and yelled. "MOLLY!"

Molly blinked as she came back to her senses. Mae was staring her down with terror in her large red eyes. The other two not seeming any better off. She mentally kicked herself for letting her fear take hold of her.

Molly turned to face the road in front of her. Mae could still hear the gunshots, though they were firing in slower, more concise shots. The shots were coming from their left. Mae's house was…

To the left as well.

The horrifying realization was confirmed by Molly making a sharp left down the first intersection she saw. Mae could have sworn her heart stopped when she saw what lies ahead.

 _Oh, my god…_

There must have been hundreds. Hundreds of the monsters they had just saw murder a poor defenseless woman. Now that the car was getting closer, Mae could hear screams, and a lot of them.

Everywhere she looked, there was either someone beating down one of those… things. Or there was one of those things… eating someone.

"Why are we going towards that?!" Gregg shouted. Gregg and Angus both looked terrified, though Mae couldn't blame them. Molly didn't let up on the gas.

"Everybody hang on!" Molly warned them. Mae grabbed onto the seat in front of her and braced herself. Gregg slid over so he was beside Mae. Gregg reached around the chair and held on. Angus copied Mae and Gregg. Gregg couldn't fit on Angus's side since he was twice Mae's size, so he had to go to Mae's side.

The car was rapidly approaching the intersection. They just had to cross this one street and they were home free. Well, maybe cross was the wrong word. Mae knew just by looking that they were going to hit someone. They had to **plow** through the street.

Mae's eyes shot open as she saw something. It was barely noticeable, but she saw it. In the middle of the road, a man stopped moving. He turned his head to the left and paused. His eyes shot open as he turned from… whatever he was looking at and ran.

Mae had a pretty good idea of what it was.

"Molly! Stop! NOW!" Mae screamed. But it was too late. As they reached the intersection, Mae could feel the car running people over. She could hear them screaming as the tires crushed them under its weight. That wasn't what Mae was concerned about. Mae turned to the left. She was more concerned about the large truck barreling down the road straight towards them.

Mae didn't have time to say anything as the truck slammed into the side of the police cruiser. The impact sent Mae and Gregg flying into Angus. The car flipped onto its side. Then onto its back. Mae hit her head against the ceiling of the now crushed police car. Her vision went black.

* * *

"-ae!"

Mae could hear a voice. It was feint, though that may have been due to the screams, which only grew louder.

"MAE!" Mae could now hear the voice. Mae cracked her eyes open. She was feeling weak for some odd reason. She had plenty of sleep last night, so why was she tired?

"Mae! Please wake up!" The same voice screamed again. Mae knew this voice. She could barely make out the form of Angus. He was carrying… Gregg? He had a large gash beside his eye, likely from the glass. But Angus wasn't the one who had spoken.

"GET UP. NOW!" Mae's head snapped to the left to see Bea. She was staring straight at Mae, concern etched across her face. She grabbed Mae and threw her arm over her shoulder and hoister her to her feet. Mae couldn't hold her head up, so she let it rest. She was looking at her shirt, which was stained a dark red.

Now that she thought about it, her head was hurting quite a bit.

Mae could barely make out a figure on the ground. It was twisted and mangled in a horrendous way. Blood began to pool beneath it. Bea leaned down to the corpse and retrieved from its belt… A gun?

Mae's eyes shot open. Her vision focused on the unmoving body. It was Molly. Her arm was broken along with many major cuts.

Mae wanted to scream, but she couldn't. All she could do was watch as Bea dragged her through the street. Occasionally, there was the sound of a gunshot as Bea fired a bullet into the head of one of those monsters. Mae tried her best to keep her eyes open. She fought the urge to let the blackness take over, but she couldn't. Mae's eyes closed of their own accord and she was left in darkness.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks again to anyone reading this. Your kind words truly are an inspiration. My plan is to get a chapter out every other day. To those who have reviewed/followed/favorited the story, THANKS! I'm always open to criticisms that will help my writing.**


	3. Respite

Bea could feel Mae slump forward as she lost consciousness. Mae had a shallow cut along the right side of her forehead. It wasn't bleeding too badly, but it was enough to elicit concern from Bea. Bea had grabbed the gun from the holster of Mae's now deceased aunt. Bea cast a quick look of sorrow at the woman. She was nice, despite most of the younger inhabitants of Possum Springs' opinion on cops. Bea could recall a few instances in which the woman had gone out of her way to help her. She knew she was Mae's friend, but Bea had the feeling she'd have done it regardless.

The mob of people and monsters were still causing an ear-splitting cacophony of agonizing screams and inhuman shrieks. From what Bea had seen thus far, she knew these 'monsters' would attack people without concern of injury. Most of the monsters had some sort of visible wound as well. She also noted that when they attacked, they would try to bite their victim. On her way to band practice, she'd seen a man shoot one of the things. He'd shot it in vital places, like the heart and lungs. Despite the fatal injuries, he just kept coming. The man eventually hit it in the head, effectively putting it down.

 _Well, at least I know where to aim._ Bea thought to herself as she flicked the safety off. Bea readjusted her grip on her unconscious friend and looked up at Angus, who was still clutching Gregg.

"C'mon Angus, we have to get out of here, fast." Bea half-shouted. Angus nodded and moved beside Bea. "Okay, we need to be fast, so stay beside me and don't slow down." Bea barked out orders quickly, leaving no room for questions. Angus simply nodded in response.

Bea and Angus took off running. It was more of a slow jog since they were both carrying someone. Bea held the pistol up, ready to fire at anything that got in their way. Angus's eyes were trained forward. He would give an occasional glance at Gregg to check for movement, only to grow more worried when he saw nothing.

Bea raised the gun and fired when a young woman missing her left eye charged for them. The bullet embedded deep into her forehead. She fell on her face and slid by them as they continued their advance. Bea looked frantically for a place to hide, but each building was either blocked by one of the monsters or inhabited.

 _Dammit! We need to get inside!_ Bea's mind screamed at her. She knew if they didn't find shelter and tend to their friends, they could die. She wouldn't let it come to that.

"Angus! Any ideas?" She turned to address the bear beside of her. "Angus?!" But the bear was nowhere to be seen. She glanced back to see the bear kneeling over.

 _Shit!_ Bea remembered the bear's asthma. She felt awful that she didn't notice sooner. Without further hesitation, she turned and ran back to her friend.

Bea could see something move directly behind Angus. Bea couldn't get out a word of warning before Angus was brutally thrown to the ground. Gregg fell to the ground beside him in a heap. Angus threw his arms up to defend himself, thankfully intercepting the claws of the man that was attacking him. Angus pushed back as hard as he could against the man.

"Bea! Help!" Angus's cry was lost in the sea of screams that fought to be heard. Had Bea not realized he was missing…

Bea sprinted for Angus, somehow managing to dodge the other people and monsters that separated them. She finally reached Angus, and with all her might, she brought her leg up and kicked the man in the side of the head. The force from the kick snapped the man's neck instantly, his corpse becoming a disheveled heap on the ground beside Angus.

"Angus, are you alright?" Bea dropped to her knees to reassure the panting bear that she wasn't going to leave him. Angus immediately turned to Gregg, who was lying on his back. Now that Bea had time to look at it, it was worse than she'd thought.

"We need to get inside. Gregg may have a concussion, and if we don't treat it…" The mortified look she received from Angus was enough to know she didn't need to finish her statement. "Alright, get him up. I know where we're heading." Bea commanded.

The pair quickly got to their feet. In a spur of the moment decision, she decided the dusty alley strewn with trash was best bet. Only one of those things stood guard, which could be dealt with quickly. Bea thought for a moment.

 _Angus is slower than me and he's carrying more. One hard kick should be enough to stop one of them for a few seconds, which is all we need. In that case…_

"Angus, can you shoot?" Bea asked as she held the gun in front of him.

"Ye…Yes." He said in between pants. He took the gun from Bea and readied it in his right hand. He readjusted Gregg so he could easily aim and shoot. "Let's… go." He gave a nod of confirmation.

Bea and Angus took off towards the alley. The two weaved their way through the crowd, narrowly avoiding the swinging hands of the monsters and people alike. Angus raised the gun as he approached the man blocking the alley. Angus waited until he was directly in front of him before pulling the trigger. There was about a foot of space between the end of the barrel and the man's forehead. The bullet decimated the man's brain, his limp body falling to the ground in an instant.

Angus stood ready at the front with Bea directly behind. She was facing the street, ready to fend off anything that decided to follow them. Angus searched for somewhere to hide, but each door he tried was locked. They eventually reached the end of the alley. The final door was ahead to the left. Angus prayed to any god that it was unlocked. He grasped the knob and gave a firm twist.

 _Damn! Locked._ Angus growled in his head. His mind was racing, trying to think of something to do.

"Angus, hold Mae!" Bea forced Mae's body into Angus's free arm. Mae stood against the wall opposite of the locked door. She kicked off the wall and sprinted at the door. She jumped and thrust her foot at the door. Her foot landed beside the knob, sending the door crashing inward with a loud bang.

"In, now!" Bea commanded. Angus obeyed without a second thought. Bea turned back down the alley to see a few of the monsters clambering down the alley.

 _Why did they choose to come down now? Was it the noise?_ Bea thought for moment before following Angus into the black room.

* * *

 _Urgh… Wh-… what? Where… am I?_ He was resting against a wall in a dark room. He could just barely make out the silhouettes of a few crates, shelves and other storage room items. He glanced around, looking for a clue as to why he woke up here. He raised a shaky arm to his head to investigate the pulsing-pain coming from his face. He laid his hand gently beside his eye. He could feel a warm liquid coating most of the right side of his face.

 _What… is this?_ With a single finger, he touched the source of the fluid, which he realized was blood.

" **SHIT!** " Gregg screeched as his face reflexively jerked away from his hand. Gregg's vision blurred slightly as a warning that he shouldn't do that again. A tear creeped its way down his blood-soaked face as the intense pain wore off.

"Gregg?" A soft voice came from behind a set of the boxes. Gregg would recognize the voice anywhere.

"Angus?! Wh- what happened?" Gregg's words came out jumbled as his mind raced to make sense of what was going on.

"Gregg! Thank goodness you're alright." Angus spared no time in locking his boyfriend in a tight hug. "You've been out a long time, I was starting to worry!" Angus pulled back to look Gregg in the eyes. Gregg could see the telltale signs of tears forming in his eyes.

"Angus… I'm fi-" Gregg's reassurance was cut short when Angus darted forward and placed a gentle kiss on his boyfriend's lips. Gregg's ears shot up as he realized what was happening. It wasn't their first, far from it in fact. It was normally Gregg that initiated any kissing that happened. Gregg closed his eyes and savored the moment.

"Angus? Did you say something?" Gregg's eyes shot open when he heard Bea. She walked around a stack of boxes to see their lips locked in a passionate kiss. Gregg could feel his face heat up under Bea's half-lidded gaze. She'd seen them kiss before, but she always seemed so… indifferent about it. It unsettled Gregg. Maybe he just liked their private moments to stay private.

Gregg gently laid his hands on Angus's shoulders and pushed away. Angus and Gregg separated, leaving Gregg staring at Bea.

"Um… Hi, Bea." Gregg muttered awkwardly. She responded by giving a wave. "So, where are we? The last thing I remember is being crushed between Mae and Angus… Where is Mae?" Gregg looked to Angus for the answer.

"She's resting. We found some gauze in one of the crates back there and wrapped her up. I was coming back here to tend to you." Angus gestured to the wound beside Gregg's eye. Now that Gregg's eyes were adjusting to the dark, he could see the neatly wrapped roll of gauze in his hand.

"What happened to Mae? And… what happened to me? This thing hurts like a bitch." Gregg pointed to his face-wound.

"A truck hit our car. The glass from the window cut you and Mae up pretty good. Not sure how it didn't get me." Angus explained. He saw the concerned look on the fox's face. "Yes, Mae is fine. She may have a minor concussion, but she should be fine. Though you may have one as well, so would you let me wrap you up?" Angus held up the gauze.

Gregg relaxed against the wall. Mae was fine, good.

"Sure, just… be careful? This thing is sensitive."

"Of course, I'd never hurt you." Angus set a gentle hand on Gregg's head. He turned it into the little light they had to get a better look. "Oof, yeah. That must sting."

"That may be a bit of an understatement, dude." Gregg giggled. Angus began cleaning the area around the wound. Gregg would wince occasionally due to the pain, but it was nothing compared to the poke. "Um, Angus? Where's Molly?"

Gregg could see the bear's expression darken slightly. He could also see Bea lower her head at the mention of her name. Gregg could already sense what was coming next.

"Molly… Died in the crash." Angus closed his eyes as he recalled her disfigured body on the pavement. He shook the picture out of his mind.

"Oh..." Gregg didn't really know what to say. What could he say? He could only imagine how Mae would react. "Damn."

Gregg's eyes wandered down to Angus's sweater. He noticed it was covered in dark splotches.

"Angus? What's that stuff on your sweater?" Again, Gregg feared the answer. Angus raised an eyebrow at the question. He looked down at his sweater, his eyes widening as he noticed as well.

"Oh, well… We had to run through a crowd of those things. I guess some of them were people too, but it was hard to notice with all that was going on." Angus explained. Gregg looked at him in disbelief.

"You ran threw a crowd of what?" Gregg blinked in confusion. He'd assumed it was a riot, considering the size.

"Um… Bea would probably be able to explain this better. She knows at least a bit about what's going on. She even saved my life out there." Gregg couldn't find the words to express the mix of shock and horror that was building inside of him. Angus turned and looked at Bea. "Would you mind, please?" Angus asked. Bea simply scoffed and took a seat on the floor beside Angus.

"Well… From what I've gathered so far, it's like a kind of sickness. I first saw it when I was on the way here. These monsters infect you by biting you. I saw a kid get bit and turn into one of them a few minutes later." Gregg was still lost.

"Wait, you saw someone get bitten?" Angus asked.

"The road leading out of the city was backed up with people trying to evacuate. The governor ordered the evacuation earlier today. I had to leave my car. I walked a few blocks and saw the cop car crash. That explains how I found you. I tried to help the kid who was bitten, but that may have been a mistake." Bea paused and let the information sink in. Gregg nodded in understanding. Angus patiently waited for her to begin talking again.

"The things like to eat. They like to eat people. Us. It's best to avoid them if you can." Gregg looked frightened, but she continued.

"I had to break down the door to get in here. It wasn't quiet. The moment I did, we had those things crawling all over us. We pushed some crates up against the door. Things have been mostly quiet since." Bea finished.

"So they respond to noise…" The words replayed in Angus's head. "I think the only way to stop them is by damaging the brain, correct?" Angus turned to Bea for confirmation.

"Yeah, so aim there. Got all that Gregg?" Bea asked. Gregg went over everything she said in his mind. There was still something he had been meaning to ask Angus.

"Angus, why were you in Molly's car?" Angus fidgeted at the question. Gregg noticed his unease, but he let the question hang.

"Well, I had just made breakfast when someone started banging on the front door. I went to see who it was and, well… It was Mr. Taylor. Something awful had happened to him. He attacked me and I had to…" Angus stopped as he thought back to the events of that morning.

"Oh, god. He was so nice, too." Gregg's ears slumped back. "So… they're like… zombies? Real zombies?" Gregg asked. Bea and Angus hadn't thought much about how similar the two things were.

"I guess… they are a lot like zombies." Bea concluded.

"At least we know what to call them. 'Monster' was getting old." Angus agreed. "Okay, well now we know what we're up against. Thanks Bea."

"Don't mention-" Bea's words stopped short when she felt Gregg squeezing the life out of her. "What are you doing?" Bea strained to get out.

"Thank you. For saving Angus. For saving Mae. And for saving me. If you weren't there, we…" Gregg started to tear up as the reality of the situation dawned on him.

Bea stared at the fox, who began to quietly sob. She wrapped an arm him for comfort, giving a pat or two.

"Really, it's no problem. You guys are my friends." Bea smiled. Angus watched on with a smile as well. "You should get some sleep. We found some water if you want some." Bea told Gregg.

Gregg sat up and released Bea. He wiped his eyes. "Thanks, but I'll pass on the water. I am feeling kinda tired. Are we okay in here for now?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Bea said as she stood up and walked back around the corner she had come from.

"She's right, you should rest." Angus said as he placed a hand on Gregg's shoulder.

"Alright, Cap'n." Gregg gave Angus a sly wink as he laid his head in Angus's lap. Angus ran his fingers through Gregg's fur, earning a purr of satisfaction every now and then. Gregg could feel his consciousness slip away. He let the warm blackness envelop him.

 _Maybe things will be okay._

* * *

 ** _Author's Note: Thanks for reading. Things may have gotten a little lovey-dovey in this chapter, but that's bound to happen sometimes._**


	4. Fear No Evil

Bea couldn't quite gauge the amount of time that had passed since they took shelter in the storeroom. It could have been hours, or days even, and she wouldn't have known. She'd settled down and dozed off a while ago, further distorting her perception of time. She woke up groggy and cranky. She sat in the corner counting the remaining bullets in the gun she snatched from Molly.

 _Nine… ten… eleven… twelve._ Bea gave a satisfied smirk. She'd thought the gun could only hold about eight. Thankfully the clip held fifteen. She used one bullet on a zombie outside, Angus also used one, but where was the last one?

Bea sat the gun down. Angus and Gregg were cuddled up beside each other in the back of the room. Mae was still down for the count, which left Bea alone. She looked desperately for something to do, and at this point, fighting zombies didn't seem so bad. She tried to make busy-work for herself. She'd sorted some of the miscellaneous items she'd found in the crates. She changed Mae's bandages, checked in on Angus and Gregg, and even played a game of tic-tac-toe with herself in the dust on the floor. She was going stir-crazy.

She returned to her spot on the wall, slumping over in defeat. The only noise she could hear was Gregg's snoring. She actually found it comforting. She'd much rather it than dead silence, at least.

 _They must be happy._ Bea turned to the couple. She couldn't see them from where she was, but she could imagine the smiles on their faces.

 _It must be nice to have someone._ Bea's head drooped as she realized just how alone she was. Her mom was dead, her dad was… somewhere, hopefully alive. Her best friend was hurt, bleeding and unconscious. Well… at least she still had Mae. Her gaze shifted to the cat. Her large eyes were still shut, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. She'd known Mae for a long time. Mae always wanted to help her with whatever it was she was doing, no matter how boring. Then she left for college, leaving Bea behind. Bea wished so badly that she could one day go to college. It would change her and her father's life for the better. She could finally afford medicine for her father.

But then Mae came back. Bea was furious with her for squandering the golden opportunity she was given. She would have given anything to take Mae's place. But through all the jealousy, and all the anger… Bea just couldn't stay mad at her. Mae really was a nice person, even if she didn't see it herself. Her personality was… unique, but she really was a people person. Watching her in the dim light of the dusty old storeroom, Bea realized that Mae was actually kind of…

 _No!_ Bea's head whipped forward. What was she thinking all of a sudden?

 _What kind of thought was that?_ Bea's mind screamed at her for thinking of her best friend like that.

 _This room must be driving me crazy… Please wake up, Mae!_ Bea begged.

"Bea?"

Bea's head shot up, her head turning to see Mae staring back at her with tired dazed eyes. She rubbed her head in pain and confusion. She scanned the rest of the room, taking in the maze of crates. "Where are we?

"Mae! You're alright! How's your head?" Bea scrambled up to her and knelt beside her.

"It hurts… Where are we?" Recollection flashed through her eyes. "Molly? Is she alright? Where is she?" Mae's eyes pleaded for an answer. Her eyes drifted to the handgun on the ground. Bea could hear a feint gasp come from her friend.

"Mae, she… died in the wreck. Angus and I had to carry you and Gregg, we couldn't bring her. I wanted to, but…" Bea let the words sink in. Mae simply let her head sink.

"What happened to Gregg?" She asked. Her voice was barely a whisper.

"The glass from the window gave him a pretty nasty cut. Like you, I guess." Mae moved a hand to her bandaged wound.

"Huh, that's what that is." Mae flopped onto her back and put her arms over her eyes. Bea could tell she was trying to hide tears.

"Um… I know this may not be the best time, but there is some stuff I need to tell you, about what's going on and whatnot." Mae raised her arm to face Bea.

"Fire away."

"Angus?" Gregg gave Angus a soft nudge, hoping to wake him. He saw Angus's eye crack open. He slowly sat up.

"Yeah? Something wrong?" Angus asked.

"No, but Mae's awake and Bea wanted us all to sit down and talk. She's bringing Mae over now." Gregg was happy that Mae was alright, and he was sure Angus was too. She came over a few minutes prior and shook him awake. She told him that Mae was awake and caught up to speed on what was happening. She also asked him to wake Angus so they could finally convene as a group.

Angus and Gregg turned when they heard shuffling coming from the front of the storeroom. Bea came around the stack of boxes with Mae. She seemed weak, and her feet were mostly dragging on the floor behind her.

"Hey guys. Been a while." Mae said casually, as if nothing had happened.

"Mae! It's great to finally see you up. Geez, it's been hours!" Gregg hopped to his feet and rushed to hug Mae, nearly tipping her over. "Too bad you didn't die of a brain hemorrhage."

"Too bad you weren't decapitated in the crash." Mae shot back with incredible speed.

"Too bad a box didn't fall on you while you were asleep!"

"Too bad you didn't choke on dust and suffocate while you were sleeping."

"God, it's good to have you back." Gregg smiled and took a step back. He returned to Angus's side and sat down. "So, you wanted to talk, Bea?" Bea sat Mae down on the floor in front of Angus and took a seat in front of Gregg, forming a small square.

"Yeah, now that we're all here, we need to think about what comes next. We can't stay in here forever. We need a plan." Bea looked to the others for their opinions. Everyone took a moment to think.

"Well…" Angus was the first to speak up. "The zombies outside seem to be gone. Either that or they're being very quiet. It seems we can leave whenever we're ready. Did you find anything useful in the crates?"

"Other than the gauze and some chips, nope." Bea answered.

"We need stuff to fight those things!" Gregg piped up. "We have the gun, but the rest of us have nothing."

"Well, I think they respond to noise, so maybe the gun isn't the first thing we want to use." Bea noted.

"Then we need to find some weapons. Did you find anything that could crack a skull in here?" Mae asked.

"If you can easily carry a heavy-ass wooden crate, then no." Bea answered.

"I mean, we don't really need to look that hard. There should be plenty of things we can use, just not in here." Gregg suggested. Mae remembered the bat that sat in her closet. She'd used it on someone before, and it seemed effective. Angus recalled the frying pan he used to put down his neighbor. Gregg had his crossbow, which was used to shoot one of the cultists. It seemed to do a fair job.

Bea proceeded to their next topic. "Alright, weapon-talk aside, we need to think of where to go. Preferably somewhere where the zombies aren't."

"I need to get home. My parents sent Molly to get me, they must be worried sick. You guys are welcome to come with me, but if there's anyone you need to find, I understand." Mae felt guilty. What if her parents were in danger and she wasn't there to help them? "Everything we need should be there. Food, water, weapons, and shelter." She let her words sink in. They took a moment to weigh their options.

"That… actually isn't a bad idea." Bea praised. "Gregg? Angus?" She turned to her other friends for their input. They turned their backs to the group as they discussed the presented plan. There were a few nods and some head-shaking. They turned back to the others.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Our apartment may not be safe, considering the number of people that live there." Angus verbalized their decision. It seemed they had a plan.

"We have a plan, we know where to find weapons and food, but is there anything we're forgetting?" Mae asked. Her friends thought for a moment, but it seemed they couldn't think of anything.

"Looks like we're all set. We should get going as soon as possible. Is everyone ready to go right now?" Bea asked.

The rest of her group exchanged glances. Each of them nodding in unison.

"All right then." Bea stood up and flicked the safety on her pistol off. "Let's go."

Angus stepped into the alley, raising the small handgun in front of him, ready to put down any stragglers. Seeing nothing, he nodded his head to the three standing in the now open doorway behind him. The sun was setting, casting crooked shadows of everything it touched. Angus could see the long shadow of something standing in the street just outside of the alley. Bea had given the gun to Angus, as he was the slowest and most likely to be grabbed. He also had a steady hand and a sharp eye. The rest of the group filed into the alley behind him. They slowly and quietly worked their way up the alley. Bea nearly tripped on a stray brick that was concealed by a discarded trash bag. She swooped it up, deciding to hold on to it, as they didn't have many other weapons. They reached the opening of the alley. Angus peered around the corner. There were a few standing in the street, thankfully scattered.

 _Oh, God._ Angus's eyes widened in shock as he saw the staggering number of corpses in the street. Most of them were torn open with various organs strewn around their bodies. Some of the corpses appeared to be the zombies. He noticed that most of them had some noticeable head wound. The zombie Angus had shot to gain entrance to the alley now laid at his feet. The smell was overwhelming. It was a mix of so many god-awful smells that it made him sick. He could hear gags come from his group. Angus turned to his group.

"There's a few in the street but they're scattered. We can get past them if we move quickly." He received nods in return. "Mae, can you keep up?" Mae was still a tad weak, but she nodded nonetheless. "Alright, let's go!"

They made their way through the street quickly. They kept a steady speed, settling at a semi-jog pace. Angus came up behind a zombie and used his shoulder to shove it out of the way. It tripped over its own feet and fell to the ground. The continued in the direction of Mae's house. It was still a few blocks off.

"Ang-!" Angus heard Gregg's voice for a split second, it was cut off, followed by a heavy _thud._

Angus turned around to see Gregg face-down of the concrete. Gregg turned around to see a hand wrapped firmly around his ankle. Gregg furiously kicked at the hand, trying desperately to get it off. The hand belonged to a zombie missing the bottom half of its body. Its mouth was inching closer to Gregg's shin.

"Help!" He yelled. Earning a few glances from the stragglers on the street. Seeing the commotion, they began wandering towards the group. "Angus!"

Angus rushed to Gregg's aid. He lunged for the zombie's head, which was now centimeters away from Gregg. Angus grabbed the zombie's forehead and pushed it away from his boyfriend. He didn't want to use the gun, that would just cause more problems.

"Move!" A sharp whisper came from behind Angus. Angus reluctantly jumped back, allowing Bea to step forward. She held a brick in her hand and brought it down on the zombie's head. The zombie fell limp with a sickening crack. Gregg pulled his leg free and scrambled to his feet.

"Are you alright?!" Angus grabbed Gregg by the shoulders and looked into his eyes, hoping to calm him down."

"I-I'm fine. Just scared the shit out of me." Gregg gave Angus a reassuring smile.

"C'mon!" Bea whispered again. "They heard that!" Bea grabbed Angus and pulled him to the front. "Lead the way."

They continued through the desolate streets of Possum Springs. There was a small group of the undead following them, but they maintained a safe distance from them.

"We're almost there!" Mae said in an excited whisper. "Just a few more houses."

They continued until the stood in front of Mae's house. Mae ran ahead of the group to the front door. She grasped the knob and gave it a twist.

 _Of course, it's locked._ Mae peered through the window. She turned away when nothing abnormal caught her eye. Angus, Bea, and Gregg were now standing on the front porch with Mae.

"I'm going to guess it's locked." Angus said. "How are we getting in?"

"Do you have a spare key or something, Mae?" Gregg asked.

"No, not that I know of, at least." Mae took a moment to think.

 _Maybe I could climb a tree, hop on to a telephone wire, shimmy across, and jump onto the roof. There, I could climb into the attic through my-_

 ** _CRASH!_**

Bea shattered the window beside the porch with her elbow. She turned to the group and gestured to the broken window. "I found a way in."

"Geez, Bea! Was that really necessary?" Mae complained. Her parents were going to kill her for this.

"I'm sure the whole 'people eating other people' thing is a good enough reason." Bea reasoned. Mae will admit that she did have a point. Bea knocked out the remaining shards of glass with her fingers and climbed into the house. She unlocked the front door, allowing her friends to step inside.

"We should probably push something against that." Angus gestured to Bea's handiwork.

"Yeah, I'll get to that in a minute." Mae agreed. "I need to find my parents first."

"Oh, yeah. Where do you think they'd be?" Angus asked.

"I'm hoping they're still here, but…" Mae drifted off. That window had made quite the noise. Her parents would surely have heard it.

"Mae! Come in here!" Gregg called from the kitchen. Mae snapped out of her thoughts and hurried to the kitchen.

"What is it?" Mae asked. Her question was answered by the small piece of notebook paper that was left of the table. It was hastily scribbled, as if they were in a hurry. Mae picked it up and read the sloppy words.

 _"_ _To our beloved Mae,_

 _The governor has called for a city-wide evacuation due to a plague that broke out. From what we've seen from the news, they transform people into these awful creatures. We waited as long as we could, but they were starting to drag people out of their houses. I hope you are safe and find this. Once this is all over, we will find you._

 _We love you sweetie._

 _Mom and Dad."_

* * *

 **Author's Note: Special thanks to everyone who has reviewed/followed/favorited this story, it means the world to me! Also, the next chapter may take a little longer to write. I'm increasing the length and (trying to) increase the quality of my writing. Thanks for being patient. Also, if anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them!**


	5. Familiar Faces

"Hey now, c'mon. Quit your squirming!" A revolting squelch came from the stomach of the woman below the dark-furred wolf. A machete was buried deep inside the woman's body. Everything below the woman's waist had been hacked away and left in a bloody pile a few feet away. The legs were snapped backwards at the knees and every toe was sawed off. The rest of the legs were littered with deep cuts. The wolf grinned as he admired his handiwork. He turned back to his undead guest. It snarled and twitched its head.

"Let's see… What next?" The wolf scanned her mutilated body in search of his next prize. His eyes landed on the woman's hair. "Ah! Here we go! This will do nicely." He giggled excitedly as he caressed her head. He grabbed a fistful of the woman's hair and pulled it tight.

"Promise me you won't move, darling?" He purred. He ripped the machete from her stomach and held it against the top of her forehead. "Just gonna take a little off the top." He dug the machete into her skin. Blood began to pour from the thin cut as he began picking up the pace. He sawed relentlessly through her scalp until it was barely holding on. He set the machete aside and grabbed her loose scalp. He peeled it slowly until it snapped off, sending shivers of pleasure down the wolf's spine.

"Baby, you're killing me." He moaned in a seductive voice. He held her hair up to his nose and inhaled deeply, enjoying the scent. He tossed it into the pile along with her lower body.

"Now, what next?"

"Gray?" A smooth voice accompanied by footsteps reverberated off the alley's walls. "Are you back here?"

" _Shit_!" Gray hissed as he scrambled to his feet. He kicked the scalp and legs closer to the zombie, as if to make it seem like she was torn apart. Noticing the zombie still squirming, he raised his machete and slammed the blade onto the woman's head. Her skull shattered as the blade traveled effortlessly through her cranium.

"Gray? Is that you?" The voice was right behind him. "There you are! We've been looking for you. What is… that?" Gray could hear him gag as he held back vomit. "Wh-what the hell, Gray?!"

"Woah! I didn't do this! I was checking back here for a way into this building and I found her lying here. She must've been ripped apart by those things." Gray quickly put his cover story to work. He gestured to the building he 'was trying to get in to.' He pulled the machete out of the woman's head and swung it at the ground to get the blood and brain matter off of it.

"Jesus, those things are brutal. What a crappy way to go." Gray watched as his friend approached the corpse and kneeled beside it. There was something akin to shock on his face as he gazed at the woman's unmoving face. "Oh, God."

"What is it? Do you know her or something?" Gray stepped back to let his friend investigate the corpse. Hopefully he mistook the cuts as scratches.

"Yeah, she worked at the church. I never spoke to her much when I lived here, but she was awesome. Helped me through some stuff." His eyes closed in grievance. "I'm sorry this happened to you." He returned to his feet and looked at Gray. "Well, thanks for putting her down, I guess." He sounded tired and upset.

"Hey, do you need to rest? We can find a place to stay for the night, if you want." Gray laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. He brushed Gray's hand off and buried his head in his hands.

"Look, I know this is upsetting, but we really need to find a place to stay. We could try breaking into this building, but it seems pretty big. May take a while to clear and even longer to barricade. Do you have any ideas?" He waited for his friend to think. He raised his head and spoke.

"Well, it may be a little ways off. I had a… _friend_ who lived a few blocks from here. We should head there.

* * *

"Here we are!" Gregg giggled excitedly as he reached into the cluttered closet. His hand pushed through various jackets, umbrellas, and boxes. He pulled out a baseball bat from the farthest corner of the closet. He raised it above his head, as if he were about to beat someone down. It was completely wooden with a few nicks here and there. Gregg remembered this bat, it was Mae's favorite. She always had a thing for bats. He swung it over his shoulder, mocking a baseball player. He swung in slow motion, imagining himself in front of a cheering crowd as he nailed the ball dead center, sending it flying out of the park. "Nice!" Gregg congratulated himself on his find. The bat fit in his hands just right. He knew he would probably have to give it to Mae, but hey, he could dream.

Gregg dug around in the closet for a few more minutes. He examined a few umbrellas. None of them seemed pointy enough to stab with, sadly. He didn't pay much attention to the clothes. Most of them seemed a little small for Mae, indicating this closet hadn't been cleaned out in a while. Gregg went through most of the boxes, finding various photo albums and other personal items. He pulled out the final box. Gregg tore the tape from the top and opened the box. The first thing to catch his eye was a surprisingly large hunting knife. Gregg's eyes lit up at his newest find. He scooped it up and drew it from its sheath. The blade was about a foot long and seemed to glow in the light.

"Sweet!" Gregg swung the knife around in the air, occasionally flipping the knife in the air and deftly catching it. He rotated it in his hand so the blade pointed to the floor. He raised it above his head and brought down in a stabbing motion. The blade embedded itself in the door frame. "Now this, this is cool." Gregg grinned devilishly as fastened the sheath to his belt, adjusting it so it sat comfortable on his hip. "Meh, I'm sure no one will miss it." Gregg closed the box and tucked it back into the closet.

* * *

"Shit." Bea hissed as she knocked over a jar of tomato sauce. She couldn't catch it before it shattered on the wooden floor. The contents splattered over the floor. Bea growled in annoyance. "Damn it!"

Bea looked back at Mae. She was sitting at the kitchen table staring at the note her parents had left her. She hadn't spoken since reading the note. Bea could tell she was deep in thought. Bea had instructed the others to search around the house and find things they could use. She told Gregg to search for weapons and Angus to look for things to reinforce the doors and windows. She was on food duty. She had been taking mostly canned items since they lasted much longer. Bea felt bad about ransacking Mae's house right in front of her, but it needed to be done. At least that's what she kept telling herself.

Mae didn't bat an eye when the jar broke. It was as if she were in another world. Bea returned to her task of gathering food. She'd found a backpack hanging in one of the closets and now used it to store the food. Bea couldn't silence the nagging voice in the back of her head that was telling her to comfort her friend. It was getting louder and louder, and Bea knew that she needed the reassurance.

 _Ugh, here it goes…_ Bea turned around and slowly approached the table. She pulled out the chair beside Mae and had a seat. Bea could see Mae's eyes wander towards her for a moment before snapping back into their previous position. Bea took a deep breath and hoped she could break through to her.

"Hey Mae. Listen, your parents… They may be fine. They probably evacuated in time. If anything, they're safer than us. They had time to leave a note, so it must have been safe." Bea spoke in the calmest voice she could manage. She was hoping it wasn't coming across as the grouchy-old-Bea that they were used to.

Bea waited for Mae to respond. Her eyes had a glimmer of apprehensiveness to them, meaning she was listening. Bea pressed on in her calm and *hopefully* soothing voice.

"We need you Mae. If you want to find your parents, then you need to be strong. We can find out where they were evacuating to and hopefully find them there." Bea could see Mae's eyes focus slightly as she came back to her senses.

"You saw what it was like back there. Those people were evacuating too. What makes you think they got away? They could have been in that crowd and I didn't notice." Mae rubbed her eyes, pushing back tears. Bea didn't know how to respond to that. As much as it pained her to admit, Mae was probably right. She carefully thought about what to say next, but nothing came to her. She did the only thing she could think to do.

Bea gently wrapped an arm around Mae and pulled her into a hug. Mae didn't move at first. She eventually returned the hug, letting the tears she tried desperately to hold back fall freely. Mae buried her face into Bea's shoulder and enjoyed the warmth of her friend.

"We'll find them. We will." Bea softly patted Mae on the back. The hug continued for another minute. Bea felt a warm feeling build inside of her. She couldn't tell what it was, but she thought it was nice.

Bea could feel Mae slowly pull away. Bea allowed her to break the hug, but for some reason…

She didn't want it to end.

"Thanks, Bea. I should probably help out, then." Mae stood up and walked off, leaving Bea to search alone. Bea felt her heart sink a bit as she returned to her work.

* * *

Angus huffed as he shoved a cupboard against the window Bea had smashed. He stood back to admire his handiwork. It seemed stable enough, but he reasoned if more than a couple pushed on it at once, it wouldn't hold.

 _Damn, what else can I use?_ Angus glanced around the living room for anything heavy. _Maybe the couch?_

"Hey, big guy." Angus turned to see Mae enter the living room. She took a seat on the couch and looked at him. "What're you up to?"

"Oh, I'm just… remodeling? I thought the cupboard would look better over here in front of the window. Really makes the room pop, if you ask me." Angus joked, hoping to keep Mae's spirits up. "By the way, do you have any boards, hammers, or nails? I was thinking about boarding the front door up and maybe blocking off some of the other windows." He raised an eyebrow and waited for Mae's response.

"Umm… Well I think we have a hammer in the crawlspace upstairs. I'm not sure about the wood or nails though. Nothing around here ever needed boarded up."

"I guess we could try the Ol' Pickaxe, if there isn't anything out there, that is. Do you think Bea still has the keys?"

"Not sure. Would you… like some company on the trip?" Mae seemed nervous about asking the question. She was always a tad intimidated by the bear. She wouldn't dare let it show though.

"Well, I'd have to run the idea by Bea and Gregg, but sure. We both know how dangerous it is out there. Thanks." Angus gave Gregg a small smile, and seeing the normally stoic bear smile made Mae smile as well.

"Oh, wow. That's actually not what I imagined you'd say. I was expecting something along the lines of 'Sorry Mae, but I'd rather take anyone other than you' or something like that." Angus looked slightly offended at her words.

"Why would I say something like that? That's horrible!"

"Well, after the whole thing where I came back and almost ruined your relationship, I thought you didn't like me as much." Mae still felt bad about that whole situation.

"Mae, listen." Angus stepped away from the window and sat down beside Mae. "You're a nice person. You didn't know about everything we were planning at the time. Besides, I don't see us returning to work anytime soon."

"Yeah, the whole zombie thing kinda messed everything up."

"I… also want to keep Gregg as far from danger as possible." Angus finished before standing up. "I'll go run the idea by the others. Be ready to go in the next half hour, got it?" He looked back at Mae for confirmation.

"Got it!" Mae shot up from the couch and ran upstairs to prepare.

* * *

Mae and Angus ducked behind an overturned car when two zombies from an alley in front of them. The Ol' Pickaxe was still a couple blocks away and it didn't seem like the two zombies were going anywhere. Bea had approved of the plan and gave Angus their only gun, and Gregg let Mae have her bat back. Angus peered through the broken windows of the car and surveyed the area. The two zombies weren't facing them, but they were blocking their path.

"Can't we just run around them? They don't seem very fast." Mae whispered.

"We don't want them following us. They could trap us if we get cornered. Best to deal with them now." Angus withdrew the gun and stood up. "You take the one on the right. Can you handle it?"

"Of course." Mae nodded and raised her bat. The two circled the car on opposite sides until they stood behind their targets. Anus raised three fingers and counted down. He mouthed the words 'three… two… one!'

Angus kicked the zombie in the back of the knee, sending it falling to the ground. Mae leaped at the zombie and slammed the bat into the side of its head, also causing it to fall to the ground. She stood over the downed zombie and smashed its head once more for good measure. Angus raised his foot and brought it down of the zombie's skull, crushing it. Both zombies laid still.

"Nicely done." Angus praised. Mae smiled at the compliment. The pair continued down the street towards The Ol' Pickaxe. Mae knew that Angus wasn't a big talker, but the silence was starting to unsettle her. She turned to Angus in hopes of starting a conversation.

"So… what's on your mind?" Mae cringed at the awkward way in which she asked the question.

"Well, I've been thinking about all the ways this could go wrong, but other than that, not much." Angus replied. "Besides, we're almost there."

"Yeah… so where'd you learn to shoot?" Mae asked, remembering the gun he was holding.

"Back in scouts, we'd shoot BB guns every now and then. It isn't that hard anyway, just point and shoot really." Angus made it sound easy. Mae could remember when her aunt took her to the shooting range. She could also remember how incredibly awful she was at it. She missed just about every target. She'd just stick with her bat.

They duo finally reached The Ol' Pickaxe. Angus approached the door and gave the handle a tug. As he expected, the door was locked.

"Thank goodness Bea still had the key." Angus breathed a sigh of relief. He inserted the key and watched as the door swung open.

Mae followed Angus into the building. Angus flicked on the lights, revealing the untouched hardware store.

"Looks like we're the first people here." Mae commented.

"Then this should be easy. Alright, find a bag or something and grab as much as you can. Remember, we only need boards and nails. Grab anything else you see that's worth taking, just make sure you prioritize." Angus instructed, earning a nod in confirmation from Mae.

Mae grabbed a basket from the counter and got to work.

* * *

The sky began to darken as the sun sank lower and lower. It would be completely dark soon. Gray and the other two in his group crept down the sidewalk towards their destination. Cole lead them down the desolate road with a hunting rifle in hand. It belonged to his father, who was an avid hunter. He was visiting him since he had some time off. His father lived in a cabin just outside of Possum Springs. Being Cole's best friend, Gray was invited to stay with him and his dad for the weekend. It had been a month or so since Cole had visited Possum Springs, and last time didn't go so well.

The other guy was… weird. They found him when they first entered town after the outbreak. He always went off on his own and seemed nonchalant about everything that was happening. He didn't even carry a weapon, he just strolled about as if nothing were out of the ordinary. He said his name was Jeremy, but his friend called him 'Germ'. He stayed in the back, leaving Gray in the middle.

A single zombie stood on the sidewalk. It slowly shuffled towards them when it spotted them.

"Get ready, Gray." Cole whispered back to him. Cole took the rifle and smashed the stock into the zombie's face. He could hear a _crack_ as the zombie's nose caved in. Cole kicked it in the stomach, and it fell onto its back. "You're up."

Gray nodded and raised his machete above the snarling zombie. He chopped into the zombie's brain, killing it. "Got 'im."

"Nice. We're almost there." They continued down the sidewalk. They were near the edge of the town. The road beside them lead directly out of town.

Cole stopped in front of a dark, seemingly abandoned house.

"This is the place?" Gray asked as they approached the door of the house. He held his machete tightly, ready to swing at anything that popped out at them.

"Hey, this is my friend's house." Germ said in an indifferent tone.

"Yeah, let's get inside." Cole replied. They moved to the front door and quietly tried the knob. "Locked. See any other way in?"

Gray's eyes landed on the window beside the door. Well, it was more of a hole now, since the window was missing.

"There, the window's broken. Something is blocking it though." Gray went to investigate the hole. Someone must have pushed a cupboard against it. Hopefully they aren't still around.

"Cole, Germ, come help me move this." Gray motioned for them to join him by the window. They quickly made their way beside Gray. "Alright, push on three. One… two… three!"

They pushed as hard as they could against the cupboard. It slowly began moving away from the window frame.

"Sheesh, this thing is heavy!" Germ piped up.

"Just a little more should do it..." Cole looked at the cupboard and watched as it slowly began to tip forward. "Wait! Stop!" Cole shouted, but was too late.

 ** _CRASH!_**

The cupboard fell to the ground, all the glass inside of it shattering against the floor.

"Damn it! Everyone in, they definitely heard that!" Gray said as he pushed Cole and Germ closer to the window. Cole climbed into the house and pulled Germ in after him. Gray grabbed Cole's hand and allowed himself to be pulled into the house. He landed beside the fallen cupboard and got to his feet.

"Germ, help me put this back." Cole gestured at the cupboard they had just pushed over. "Gray, make sure the house is safe." Cole commanded and threw Gray his rifle. Gray threw it over his shoulder readied his machete.

Gray first searched the kitchen. He went through a few cabinets, the fridge, and the pantry. Finding a few pots, pans, and miscellaneous food items, he left the kitchen and found himself at the foot of the stairs. He pulled out Cole's rifle and climbed the stairs as slowly and quietly as he could.

Gray reached the first landing. There was a picture of a family to the right. He looked at the small black cat in the middle, he felt as if her eyes were peering straight into her soul.

"Creepy." Gray mumbled as shivers ran down his spine. He turned down a narrow hallway to the left. A door sat at the end of the hallway in each direction. He checked each of the doors. One led to a small crawlspace. The other one appeared to be the bedroom of the parents in the photo. That left one more place to check.

He stood at the base of the last staircase. From what he could see, he guessed it was the attic. He began climbing the stairs, each one would creak slightly.

 _Shut up, you stupid stairs!_ Gray screamed at the noisy staircase.

He finally reached the top and scanned the room. It seemed it was the attic, but it was converted into a bedroom. The closet door at the far end of the room was open with miscellaneous boxes and other items strewn about. There was a bed in front of a small window with an open laptop on it. Behind it was a small window, just big enough to see the street. He turned to his left and saw-

"Oh, shit!" Gray shouted when he spotted a shadow in the corner to his left. He could just barely make out the large hunting knife in its hand. Gray grabbed the rifle from his shoulder as the shadow charged at him.

It was an orange fox wearing a leather jacket. He held the knife above him as he dashed at him. Gray lifted the gun and fired as quickly as he could.

The bullet landed in the wall to the left of the attacker. He pulled back the bolt and aimed in for another shot.

The fox thrusted the knife towards him, but was stopped by the gun, which was raised horizontally to block it. They struggled against each other for a few seconds before Gray forcefully kicked the fox in the stomach, causing him to stumble backwards.

Gray took the opportunity to point the gun at him once more.

"Don't move!" He hissed. "Drop the knife, now." He aimed the rifle at his head.

The fox dropped the knife with a grunt. It clanked on the thin wood floor. "You almost shot me, you prick." He mumbled.

"And I _will_ shoot you if you try anything. Once my group finishes downstairs, we'll decide what to do with-" Gray's words were cut off when something hit him over the head from behind.

As he fell to the floor, he could see a black boot step over him as the fox picked up his knife. His gun was taken by a blue crocodile, who looked down at him with a half-lidded glare. Gray's vision slowly faded to black as stream of blood ran down the back of his head.

* * *

"Alright, that should do it." Angus said with a satisfied huff. They gathered everything they could have possibly needed, Mae even found a candy bar. The supplies they'd collected were put in a shopping cart so they could travel faster.

"We'll have to be fast, this thing isn't quiet. Remember the plan, I'll push the cart while you fend off any zombies. If you get overwhelmed, I have the gun, but that's a last resort." Angus explained.

"Yeah, I got this. Thankfully it's all downhill from here." Mae said optimistically.

"Great, let's get moving." Mae opened the door for Angus, who shoved the cart out onto the sidewalk. Mae quickly joined Angus outside and took her place in front of the cart. They slowly began heading back the way they came. The cart rattled loudly with each step they took. It had only attracted a few stray zombies, which were quickly dealt with by Mae. She'd crush the head of each of them using her bat, effectively dealing with them.

"We're almost there big guy, keep it up!" Mae encouraged. The operation went very smoothly thus far, Mae was starting to think not a thing would go wrong.

 ** _CRASH!_**

 _Of course…_

 _"_ That came from the house!" Mae whispered to Angus, who's eyes widened at the sudden noise.

"Let's go!" Angus let go of the cart and the pair sprinted for the house. Angus's breathing sounded labored, but Mae could tell by looking at him that he wasn't about to stop and rest.

As they approached the house, Mae could barely see the figure of a person climbing into the shattered window of her house.

She squinted her eyes and focused as hard as she could. She could make out minor facial details such as a beak and a dark hat. He was quickly followed by a dark-grey wolf.

"Was that… Germ?" Mae panted as she continued running.

"Ger- Germ? He- he's here?" Angus wheezed.

They arrived in front of the broken window, which had been re-covered by the cupboard, which Mae assumed had been pushed over.

"We need to get inside; Gregg and Bea are in there." Mae whispered with urgency.

"Bea was… supposed to let us in. What should we do?" Angus asked as he tried to catch his breath.

 ** _Pkow!_**

Mae and Angus jumped simultaneously as a gunshot rang from inside the house. Angus looked horrified as he looked down at the gun in his hand, realizing the bullet must have been fired at Bea or Gregg.

"Crap!" Mae shouted as she quickly scanned the area for a way into the house. Her eyes quickly landed on a tree on the sidewalk in front of the house. If she could get onto the tree, she could get to the phone-line and jump to the roof.

"Angus, quick! Help me-"

 ** _Pkow! Pkow! Pkow!_**

Mae's head snapped towards the house, where several more shots were fired.

"Oh God."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this. Special thanks to those who have reviewed/favorited/followed, your encouragement helps a lot. If you have any ideas you think would be interesting, please let me know! Thanks again!**

 **Quick note!** **Shadou Wolfie brought up something I forgot about. Gregg lost his crossbow in the mine in the game. I mentioned in a previous chapter that Gregg still had his crossbow. To clear this up, Gregg bought another crossbow, since he like them so much.**

 **If you see any inconsistencies in the story, please let me know! It's very appreciated!**


	6. Into the Fire

"C'mon, quickly!" Mae shouted in panic as she struggled to reach the closest tree branch. The gunshots had ceased after about five shots. The sudden silence was starting to scare Mae. Angus rushed over to Mae and leaned against the tree. He set his interlocked hands face up on his leg, creating a step for Mae. The gunshots had traveled through the walls of the house easily, and the crash of the glass from the cupboard had generated enough sound to easily be heard from a fair distance away. They were sure to have company sometime soon, giving Mae another reason to hurry. Mae struggled to pull herself up after grabbing the first branch. Her noodle-like arms trembled under her weight.

 _Wow, I really need to work out more._ Mae cursed herself for her laziness. She figured the zombies would be incentive enough for being a little more active in the future. She finally wrapped a leg around the tree limb and heaved the rest of her body onto it.

"Angus, you should probably find a place to hide in case some zombies heard all that." She peered down at Angus who nodded in agreement. Before leaving the tree, he considered giving the gun to Mae. She'd said she wasn't very accurate, but she was walking into the unknown, which could be dangerous. On the other hand, Angus needed it if any zombies showed up. He had Mae's bat since she couldn't take it with her, maybe he could use that?

Angus grabbed Mae's bat and turned from the tree. He decided to keep the gun, tucking it into the back-waist of his jeans. He ducked behind a bush with the baseball bat in hand. He gave a nod, as if to say, 'good luck'.

Mae returned the nod and began climbing the tree. She scaled the tree branch after branch until she reached the top. There was about a six-foot gap between the phone line and her. The thin limbs of the tree threatened to snap underneath her. She prayed that the narrow branch wouldn't break when she jumped. She bent her knees, took a quick step, and leaped from the edge of the branch.

 _Crack!_

The branch snapped as soon as her foot left it. The branch fell and hit multiple other branches on the way down, hitting the ground with another crack.

Mae thrusted her feet out in front of her and landed on the phone line. It shook violently at the sudden change in weight. Mae's arms swung in frantic circles, attempting to balance herself. Her legs shook with the line, slowly becoming steadier. She outstretched her arms to either side of her to balance herself. Mae cast a quick glance at the street leading to her house. Nothing seemed too…

"Shit." Mae spat as she realized what she was looking at.

There must have been at least a hundred of them, all heading for Mae's house. A hundred bloodthirsty zombies all shuffling towards her house looking for a meal.

"Crap, Angus!" Mae panicked. She looked down at Angus, who was looking straight at her. Mae pointed at the horde approaching over the hill. She then raised a finger to her lips as if to say, 'don't make a sound'. Angus seemed to understand as he attempted to scrunch up more, trying to make himself more difficult to be seen. Mae hoped the zombies would pass by the house. Surely they weren't capable of pinpointing the exact location of the noise, at least, Mae hoped so. They only had an idea of where it came from, so maybe they'd keep walking? As long as they didn't have a reason to stop, they should be fine.

Mae focused on her goal once more and faced the attic window in front of her. It was a tiny, effortless jump and she was home free. She did so with ease, gracefully landing on both feet. She approached the attic window, well, her bedroom window, and squinted to see through the foggy glass. She could barely make out the body of what appeared to be a wolf on the ground. He was on the ground, the only notable movement being the steady rise and fall of his chest.

Mae pushed against the window, giving a huff of dissatisfaction when the lock rattled.

 _Why does everything have to be locked?_ Mae pushed again, a little harder. She noticed the top right corner would move in a bit with every push. She focused her pushing on that corner, the window moved back further and further until it was just barely in the frame.

 _Please don't be loud._ Mae silently hoped. With a final shove, the window fell from its frame. Thankfully, it landed on Mae's bed, not bouncing off as she had feared. Mae squeezed through the newly-created hole and landed on her bed beside the pane of glass. She took a minute to scan the room now that she could see clearly.

The wolf she'd first seen had been hit in the head, leaving a trail of blood running down his head and onto the floor. He was wearing a dark grey hoodie that matched the tone of his fur and a pair of dark blue skinny jeans. Mae would never understand how someone could comfortably wear them. It was a question that had haunted her throughout her entire life.

She spotted a small hole in the wall off to left side of her room. It seemed to be about the size of bullet.

 _Well, there's one of five._

Other than the hole and the stranger on the floor, nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. Mae tiptoed over to the stairs. She wanted to keep her presence unknown so she could keep the element of surprise. Bea or Gregg had to have been in the room recently, her clue being the wet pool of blood beneath the wolf's head.

She leaned over the stairs and looked down the hall as far as she could. Buried in the wooden floor at the foot of the stairs were three more holes, bringing the total of found bullets up to three.

Mae slowly descended the attic stairs, avoiding the squeaky spots she'd memorized over the years. She was able to get a better view of the hallway once she reached the floor. There was another hole in the wall at the far end of the hall. Just above the stairs was another hole.

 _Well, at least Gregg and Bea weren't shot._ Mae let out a relieved sigh and began down the hall.

 _That must mean they're all downstairs. Why can't I hear anything? They surely would have tried to escape if they were being shot at, but Angus would be waiting in the front yard. Or maybe the intruders had knives and-_ Mae shook the worries from her head and focused on the task at hand. All of her friends were still in danger, she needed to focus.

She reached the next set of stairs that led to the ground floor. Taking careful steps once more, she made her way down the stairs. She leaned over the banister to her right, allowing her to see into the kitchen. She could hear faint voices, though it sounded more like hushed yelling. From the odd angle, she could only see Bea's black boots.

Mae reached the ground floor and ducked behind the railing. Bea was still blocking her view of the person or people in front of her. Mae snuck closer, the voices slowly becoming more audible.

"Listen! We need to get up there!" A smooth voice said with urgency. Mae's ear flicked at the voice. She could have sworn she'd heard that voice before, but it was still too quiet to tell.

"You're staying right here. Why did he attack us?" Bea growled. Mae could now see Gregg's leather jacket to her right. Between their legs, she could see the feet of two other people.

"You probably just scared him or something. He wouldn't attack you without a good reason." The same smooth voice shot back. Mae could see the stock of a rifle against Bea's shoulder. They seemed to have the situation under control, so Mae slowly rose to a full standing position. Being possibly the shortest person in Possum Springs, she still couldn't see who was on the other side of Bea. Seeing no reason to remain silent any longer, she spoke up.

"Bea, what's going on?" Mae asked in a gentle voice so she wouldn't startle her. The last thing Mae needed was a hole in her chest.

Bea and Gregg spun around, thankfully Bea didn't shoot her. "Mae! You're back!" Gregg cheered.

Bea let out a sigh of relief. "We have some guests." She added.

"Wait, Mae?" The voice spoke up again, louder this time. Bea sidestepped, allowing Mae to see the raccoon staring at her with wide eyes. Mae was equally surprised, her own eyes widening at the sight of her ex-boyfriend.

"Cole?! What are you doing here?" Mae asked in shock. She'd been so surprised by Cole's presence that she hadn't even noticed Germ standing beside him. He had the normal Germ-look on his face despite the situation.

"Mae, it's great to see you're okay!" He smiled and took a small step toward her. "I was here visiting family when all this stuff happened." Remembering Mae's question, he looped back to answer it.

"U-uh, y-yeah! You too! Ha-ha!" Mae stuttered out in a way that dripped with awkwardness. "Oh, you too, Germ." The bird gave a small wave in response. Mae could feel beads of sweat beginning to form on her face as Cole stared her down. Well, it was more like a calm gaze, but Mae was too freaked out to distinguish the two.

"These guys and their friend upstairs attacked Gregg. We may have shot at them a bit. We didn't know it was these guys though." Bea informed.

"Oh, yeah. Those shots attracted a pretty big group of them." Mae said as Gregg leaned so he could see into the hallway behind Mae.

"Mae, where's Angus?" Mae could detect a trace of nervousness in his voice. In the confusion, Mae had completely forgotten about Angus, who was still waiting outside.

"Shit, Angus!" Mae spat as she turned from the kitchen and ran for the front door. "Come on!" Mae called back. Gregg immediately followed. Bea gave a weary look at Cole and Germ before rushing after them.

Mae, Gregg, and Bea reached the entryway. The front door was locked and had several heavy things in front of it. The window had the cupboard, but it was far heavier than it should have been. Not to mention the sea of broken glass in front of it.

"Angus is still outside. I had to climb on the telephone wire to get in here." Mae quickly explained. Gregg's ears dropped as fear spread across his face.

"You said the shots attracted more of them. How many are there and where?" Bea asked as she began pulling furniture items out of the way. Gregg went to assist her.

"Too many, like, hundreds! They're in the street in front of the house, so we have to be quiet." Mae filled them in and began pulling a hefty dresser out of the way.

"Damn, where's Angus now?" Bea grunted as she pushed against the dresser.

"He's hiding in the bushes just outside of the door." Mae huffed as they finally moved the dresser out of the way. Only a few more seconds and…

 ** _CRASH! THUMP! BOOM!_**

Mae nearly jumped out of her skin as a sudden rumbling sound erupted from behind her. She could see Bea and Gregg jump as well as they turned to identify the source.

" _Aaagh! Shit!_ " The wolf that Mae had seen on her bedroom floor was now lying face down on the ground in front of them. He was clutching his hip and had pained expression on his bloodied face. The wound on his head was still noticeably bleeding.

"Gray?! Crap, are you okay?" Mae watched Cole dashed from the kitchen and kneeled beside him. There was only one more thing to move before the door could be opened. Bea unlocked the door and cracked it as far as she could before it hit the final piece of furniture. There was barely enough space to see through, but she could make out the forms of multiple shuffling bodies. She strained her eyes to see the darkened figures. As her eyes adjusted, she realized just how many there were.

And they were all heading straight for them.

* * *

" _What is taking her so long?!"_ Angus growled quietly to himself. It'd been a few minutes since she entered the house, had something happened to her? Angus couldn't have been more on-edge. The horde of the undead just kept coming. He could have sworn he was looking at more zombies than the entire population of Possum Springs. He gripped the pistol tightly. At least he had _something_. As far as he knew, he was in danger, alone, and in desperate need of a nap.

Angus closed his eyes and focused his hearing. He could hear voices coming from inside. He thought he could maybe hear… Bea? He couldn't quite tell. Having nothing else to do but wait, he turned his attention back the crowd of zombies.

He never realized how _miserable_ they sounded. Granted, it hadn't even been three days since his first encounter with one of them, but he didn't actually take the time to listen to them. They sounded as if they were in a constant state of pain, confusion, and horror. All those emotions expressed through raspy growls, a blank stare, and grotesque moans.

There was something bothering Angus, though. Ever since their first run-in with a large group of zombies after the car wreck, he'd been debating the answer to this one question.

 _How were there so many of these things already?_ Angus couldn't shake the thought out of his head. As much as he thought about it, he was never able to come up with a plausible explanation. The murder-cult wasn't coming back, there wasn't any news on recent outbreaks of diseases, nothing. Angus crossed the cult off the list first. The mine was blocked off anyway.

Angus had debated the possibility of it being a virus as well. It was certainly more believable than the cult returning. However, he'd heard nothing of it. Angus felt certain the government would-

 ** _CRASH! THUMP! BOOM!_**

Angus jolted into a full sitting position after a surprisingly loud crash came from inside. He could hear the pained voice of a stranger spouting profanities from inside. There was another shout followed by footsteps. The voices sounded closer than they were before, in fact, they sounded like they were on the other side of the front door.

Angus could hear the scraping of wooden furniture legs against the wooden floor. It seemed as if they were rushing to get the door open. Angus returned his gaze back to the street.

 _Oh._

The entire ocean of zombies was heading straight for the house. The noise from inside must have caught their attention. Feeling the telltale sign of panic swelling inside him, he jumped to his feet and ran to the front door.

 ** _BANG BANG BANG!_** Angus pounded on the door with his fist, desperately trying to get the attention of anyone inside.

"Let me in! Hurry!" Angus whispered sharply in panic. They were closing the gap between the house and them too fast for his liking. Angus could now hear frantic chatter from behind the door. What stood out the most was Gregg's voice. Though he couldn't quite focus enough to listen, he could tell he was worried.

The faster zombies of the group were now upon him. They were charging at him with outstretched arms and open jaws.

 ** _Pkow!_** Angus raised the pistol and shot the nearest zombie. It fell to the ground with a fresh bullet wound in the center of its forehead. He steadied his hands again; pulling the trigger and watching the bullet bury itself into the next one's eye. Blood spewed forth from the red hole as the zombie's head shot back from the force of the bullet. The blood squirted into the air, reminding Angus of a water fountain you'd find in front of a hotel. Just the thought was enough to make Angus feel woozy.

With his patience all but gone, Angus began ramming his shoulder into the door, hoping to move whatever was in the way. The door cracked slightly as the force from the furniture lightened, allowing him to barely see into the house. He could also hear the panicked voices of his friends and the strangers alike.

"Just a little more, pull!" Gregg shouted from inside. Angus took a few steps back, preparing for his next ram. He charged forward with all the speed and force he could muster. His shoulder met the door and sent it flying open. Angus couldn't stop himself before falling to the floor, his feet kicking wildly as he tried to back away from the now open door.

"Get that door shut! **Now!** " Bea's booming voice echoed throughout the house. Mae and Cole shoved the dresser against the door. The adrenaline boost helped quite a bit. The zombies were now on the doorstep. They banged against the closed door with all their might. Mae shoved her back against the dresser and relocked the door. Cole assisted Mae by pushing against the dresser as well.

Gregg rushed to his boyfriend's side, immediately trapping him in a tight hug.

"Angus, thank God!" Gregg cried into Angus's sweater. Gregg didn't bother trying to hide the tears that were slowly streaming down his face. "You… you almost…"

"Hey, Bug. I'm fine. It's okay." Angus returned the hug and pulled Gregg closer. He'd said he was fine, but Angus knew he was saying far from the truth. Angus hadn't even noticed his breathing, which was now at a frightening pace. "We have to help… the others." He said after taking a mid-sentence breath.

Gregg pulled Angus to his feet, where they then threw their bodies against the dresser as well. Angus hoped they wouldn't attack the cupboard in the living room to their right, which was clearly weaker compared to the front door.

"Mae! We need to do… something!" Angus yelled. "Do you have any ideas?"

Mae's face immediately drew a blank. She thought the question over for a moment. If she had to guess, the backyard was likely flooded with zombies as well. There was the roof, but that led nowhere and she was the only one who could traverse the telephone wires.

"Um… I don't-"

 ** _CRASH!_**

The front door was torn from its hinges as several zombies pushed it down. Heading through the broken doorway, the zombies found themselves facing a heavy dresser. The combined weight of the zombies sent the dresser sliding to the side, allowing them full access to the house.

"Oh, fuck!" Gray shouted as he rose to his feet, his legs wobbling beneath him. Everything seemed to slow down as the following events played in slow motion. The bear and the fox sprinted for the stairs. The force from the zombies sent the crocodile to the ground and she desperately tried to get back on her feet. Germ was already gone and Cole was running to assist the crocodile. That left the black cat, who stood in front of the horde. Why wasn't she running?

No, she _was_ trying. The undead body of an old man had grabbed her hand. She punched viciously at the hand in desperation, but it was too late.

Gray watched in horror as the zombie's teeth slowly sank into Mae Borowski's hand.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/followed. It really means a lot to me. If you have any tips or ideas, please let me know, I love hearing them.**


	7. Surrounded by Death

Mae tried in vain to free her hand from the grasp of the elderly man that had burst through the front door. Many more quickly followed, but he was by far the fastest. He went straight for Mae, grabbing her by the wrist. He was also far stronger than Mae would have imagined. Mae tried as best she could to pry her hand away from the chomping jaws of the old man. She used her free hand to punch the man's hand. She even tried hitting him in the face a few times. To her dismay, her fist bounced off harmlessly as he continued to lower his mouth toward her hand. She watched in terror as his teeth dug into her hand. He bit the area below the pinkie finger and above the wrist, leaving blood to run down her arm.

" **AAARGH!** " Mae screamed in agony as pain exploded in her hand. She thrashed in a desperate attempt to free herself. Several other zombies were entering the house. Thankfully the dresser was holding a few of them back, but that wouldn't matter if she couldn't break free from his hold. Mae looked back for help. Her heart dropped when she saw no one in sight. She saw the feet of Gregg and Angus as they disappeared into the second floor. She saw Cole lifting Bea to her feet. The two quickly ran from the entryway and into the kitchen. Cole threw open the backdoor and slammed it shut behind them. Germ was nowhere to be seen. She was all alone. She felt as if she were freezing as the realization hit her.

 _I'm going to die…_

" **GRRAAGH!** " Mae's head jerked to the right when a deep growl came from beside her. Mae watched as the wolf that had fallen down the stairs plunged his claws deep into the eyes of the old man. His head was thrown backwards from the force of the wolf's hand, freeing Mae's hand from his teeth. She could also feel his grip loosen slightly. Seizing the opportunity, Mae punched the man's hand once more and pulled with all her power. Her hand twisted and jerked until she finally slipped out of the vice grip of the elderly zombie. She stumbled backwards, tripping over her own feet. She landed hard on her back, her head narrowly missed the first step. The wolf ripped his claws out of the old man's eye sockets, bringing his right eye and a gush of blood with them. He flicked the disembodied eye off his claw and turned to Mae. He sprinted from the front door and grabbed Mae's arm. He hoisted her to her feet and spun her around.

"C'mon! Hurry!" He yelled as he dragged her up the stairs. Snapping out of the shock, she took control of her feet and began running on her own. They climbed the stairs as fast as they could, only stopping at the first landing when the wolf grabbed her arm again.

"Where do we go?!" He yelled as he glanced down at the entryway. They were now in the house. Some of them went past the stairs and into the kitchen. Most of them were heading straight for them. The closest zombie was just now reaching the stairs. Mae struggled to answer the question. Everything that had just happened was still burned into her mind. She stuttered for a moment before giving an answer.

"We, um… Attic! The roof!" She said in panic. Mae pointed to her bedroom. Gray followed her finger and gave a nod of approval.

"Yeah, okay." He approved. He took her by the hand this time and led her up the stairs. His fingers still dripped blood, but that was the least of Mae's worries. They reached the top of the stairs. Gray pushed Mae toward the window.

"You go first. I'll keep 'em back." He commanded. He stood in front of the attic entrance and grabbed the railing on both sides. Mae wasted no time in getting to the window. She jumped onto the bed and carefully slipped through the hole in the window. The zombies were now climbing the second flight of stairs that led into the attic. Gray waited until the first zombie was directly in front of him before jumping into the air and delivering a harsh two-footed kick to the zombie's chest. The zombie flew back into the next one, knocking back the next, and the next. There was now a pile of zombies struggling to get back to their feet at the base of the attic stairs.

"Your turn!" The black cat shouted from outside the window. Gray quickly moved to the window and deftly slid through it, leaving the zombies scrambling to follow. The pair now sat on the roof just outside of Mae's room. On the other side of them was a vertical thirty-foot drop. The roof slanted up on both sides of the window. It sloped up from there, giving them some space to move around.

"We're still not safe, let's get to the very top." The wolf said with a huff. He moved past Mae and scaled the slanted roof. He looked back at Mae, who was giving him an odd look. "Something wrong?" He asked, trying best to hide the annoyance in his voice.

Mae gulped at the question. This strange guy had just saved her life without a thought for his own safety. He was there for her when no one else was and she didn't even know his name. A strange feeling welled up inside Mae. She couldn't quite tell what it was. It was a mix of admiration, appreciation, shock, and… something else. That something was still unknown to her. The way he looked at her sent shivers down her spine. He held out a hand to her.

"Nope, everything's fine." She gladly accepted his hand. The feeling intensified when their hands interlocked. Mae could feel her face warm up as he pulled her closer. He pulled her up the incline that lead to the rest of the roof. He kept pulling until their faces were about a foot apart. She was looking directly into his dark blue eyes. His own eyes were looking down at something. They widened slowly as he breathed a little harder. What was he looking at?

Mae followed his eyes until she was looking at her hand. There were teeth marks from where the man had bit her. Blood was still seeping from the dark wound. Now that the adrenaline was starting wear off, her hand was stinging with pain. Every movement in her hand caused another jolt of pain. Gray retracted his hand and he backed away slightly.

" _Shit!_ You were bitten?!" He hissed, looking Mae directly in the eyes. He looked at her in shock. Mae jumped at his sudden movement.

"What? Oh, um… y-yes?" She mumbled. Sure, she was hurt, but she didn't expect this kind of reaction from someone she didn't even know.

"Goddammit!" He threw his hands up to his head in a way someone would do if they were stressed. "I wasn't quick enough!" He cursed himself in a whisper. It sounded like he meant to say that in his head. He slumped over with an ashamed look on his face.

"What? What's wrong?" Mae asked. She placed her non-bitten hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. She still had no idea what he was going on about. It was only a bite. With time, it should heal fine. There may be a scar or two, but that wasn't a big deal. Scars were cool, after all.

"What do you mean, 'what's wrong'? You were bitten!" He shouted. He didn't mean to shout; the situation must have been getting to him.

"So what? I mean, sure, it hurts and all, but I'm fine!" Mae was starting to get nervous. It seemed he knew something he wasn't telling her.

"…Do you not know what that means?" He asked in a much softer voice. He looked up at her waiting for an answer.

"Getting bitten? No, I don't. If you don't mean being in a bit of pain for a while, that is." She answered. Gray's ears dropped against his head as he prepared to deliver upsetting news.

"Look, if you get bitten, you… turn into one of them." He spoke in a somber tone.

Upon hearing those words, Mae's heart dropped. Her entire body felt cold as his words sank in. She would turn into one of them? Mae didn't want to believe it, but she didn't feel like he was lying.

"First, a fever sets in. Eventually, it immobilizes you. Finally, you... turn into one." He continued his explanation. The extra info wasn't exactly needed, as it only frightened her more, but at least she knew. Mae felt a tear fall from her eye. She tried blinking away any others that wanted out, but she couldn't. She raised her hands and covered her eyes. She rubbed them, also trying to hide her tears.

"Listen, I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but… you're okay for now. We need to focus on what's happening _now_." He softly grabbed Mae's hand and helped her to her feet.

"Mae!" Gray nearly jumped out of his skin when a loud, somewhat annoying voice came from his left. He turned to see the fox from earlier sitting at the top of the roof. The bear he'd caught a glimpse of when he fell down the stairs sat beside him. "You're alright!" He spoke again.

Mae turned to look at Gregg and Angus, but quickly remembered her wet eyes. She faced away and said nothing. Gregg and Angus noticed her silence.

"Mae? What's wrong?" Angus asked. Gray looked at Mae, expecting her to say something. When he was met with silence, he decided to speak up.

"Stay here and rest, Mae. I'll talk to them." He helped Mae back down into a sitting position. She curled up into a ball and rest her head on her knees. Gray carefully climbed up the roof and took a seat in front of them. Gregg seemed a bit untrusting of him, Gray could see it. If these were Mae's friends, he wouldn't give them any problems.

"What's wrong with her" Angus whispered so Mae couldn't hear him. He didn't want to be insensitive.

"She was bitten." Gray said. He was met with confused looks from the both of them. Realizing he had to explain again, he took a deep breath.

"When you get bitten by one of those things down there, you turn into one of them." Those words were enough to get the point across. He saw their eyes widen in horror as they both looked at Mae.

"What?! Really?" Gregg stuttered in shock.

"Yes, really. The first symptom is a fever. I'd say she has a few hours until then. Eventually, she'll be unable to move. Then… she becomes one of them." He explained. The pair said nothing as they processed the information.

"Well… shit."

* * *

Bea grabbed the top of the backyard fence and jumped, throwing a leg over the top and pulling the rest of her body over it. She leaped down onto the ground on the other side. Cole was quick to follow, easily hooping over the fence and landing beside Bea. They both turned back toward the house.

"Goddammit! What should we do?" Cole asked as he began pacing with a hand on his forehead and a hand on his waist. His mind was drawing a blank. He left his best friend to be devoured by those things. He didn't mean to, but everything happened so fast. He helped the first person he saw, which happened to be the blue crocodile beside of him.

"I saw Gregg and Angus run up the stairs, maybe they're still safe. Mae got grabbed by one of them and your friend…" Bea let the sentence hang. She was hoping she wouldn't have to tell him that his friend was probably dead. Hopefully he'd take the hint. Bea wanted to believe that Mae had escaped. Until she found out, she'd suppress any emotions. She was good at that.

Bea's answer only seemed to upset him more. "Crap! Maybe he ran?" Cole tried to remain hopeful. He saw him lying on the ground after helping Bea to her feet, but he left him. His fear got the better of him. It was because of him that his best friend was dead.

"Listen, they could still be alive in there. We have to find a way to get the zombies out of the house." Bea said with authority. She grabbed him by the shoulder to stop his pacing.

"Y-yeah. You're right. What should we do?" Cole asked.

"Well, they respond to sound. We need to find something loud. Do you have a car or something?"

"No. We came into town on foot." Cole answered.

Bea took a second to think. She still had the rifle slung over her shoulder, which was capable of making some noise. She'd fired off a good bit of the ammo earlier, so she only had a couple shots before it was useless. But was it enough to attract the entire horde? Bea doubted it, considering the amount of noise they made themselves. A car alarm was first on her list, but most cars in the town were lined up going out of the city, and that pretty far away. What could they use? There had to be _something!_

 _"_ Okay, we'll think of something. For now, we should get away from here. We'll circle around the block and find something." Bea said as she motioned down the empty road in front of them.

"Alright, let's go." Cole agreed. The pair took off down the street. They scanned the streets for anything that could be of use. There wasn't a single car in sight. Everyone bolted the second they found out.

 _Think! THINK!_ Bea screamed at herself. Her friends needed her!

"There!" Cole shouted, immediately earning Bea's attention. He pointed over a row of houses and into the dark sky. Bea could barely make out the shape of a building. Bea's eyes lit up as she realized it was the church. Sitting at the very top was a gigantic bell. It could easily make a sound loud enough for everyone in town to hear. _Perfect!_

"Yeah, that'll do. Good thinking." Bea complimented. The pair continued running through the street. The only sound accompanying that of their feet was the distant sound of thunder, giving a grim warning of a coming storm.

* * *

Jeremy casually strolled down one of the many silent streets of Possum Springs. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his hoodie as he whistled a tune he had stuck in his head. He whistled the lyrics to the song 'Weird Autumn', which he watched his friends perform a few weeks ago. After the zombies breached the house, he decided to go for a walk. Maybe he'd find something that would help. He really didn't know what it was he was looking for, but if he saw something of interest, he'd check it out. A crack of lightning sounded behind him. The storm was rolling in quickly, and it looked to be a nasty one. He added 'umbrella' to his list of things to look for.

He came upon the hill that lead to the church. He'd always wanted to ring that huge bell…

 _Meh, maybe on my way back._ Germ shrugged and continued his evening stroll. Germ decided to spice things up a bit and make a left at the next intersection. Germ came to a halt after he rounded the corner. His eyes widened slightly in excitement and interest.

"What do we have here?" The street was blocked with seemingly abandoned military Humvees. They blockaded the street, leaving no room for cars or people to slip through. Sure, anyone could just _climb_ over them, but Germ had a feeling these vehicles weren't so abandoned long ago. His main clue being the charred pile of corpses that laid in the center of the street in front of the wall of cars. Each body was riddled with bullet holes. There had to have been at least thirty bodies, each one letting off an extremely unpleasant stench. A variety of insects swarmed the grotesque cluster of cadavers. Germ wasn't really focused on the multitude of mutilated meat, however. His eyes were locked on the cars. They seemed as if the military had just up and left, leaving behind everything inside. Germ was curious as to why they'd do such a thing, but the excitement of finding potential treasure was a far more entertaining thought.

Germ skipped through the street toward the treasure trove. He gracefully avoided any of the several furry and scaly limbs that were strewn about. He landed in front of one of the heavy armored cars. He pulled the handle gently, the car door swung open with ease.

"Hey, something that's _actually_ unlocked! How about that?" Germ couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of the situation. Any door that he checked up to this point was locked or blocked. It just happened to be the _military vehicle_ that broke this streak.

Germ poked his head inside. The driver and passenger seat were empty. The keys were missing, which kind of upset Jeremy, but maybe there was something better. He jumped into the passenger seat and leaned around the chair to check the back. His shoulders slumped in disappointment when he saw nothing.

"Geez, no nuke? That's disappointing." Germ hopped out of the car and shut the door behind of him. Maybe one of the other six Humvees had something good in it. Germ continued checking each individual car. Each one raising his hopes that he'd find something, but only to be let down when nothing showed up. Actually, he couldn't quite say he found _nothing…_ He did find a pretty _awesome_ military helmet, which currently sat on top of his head.

He approached the final Humvee. He prayed to the stars that he'd find something. Anything was an improvement at this point, even a chocolate bar. As long as it wasn't another hat, he'd be grateful. He was starting to like the new 'military Jeremy' look.

Something caught Germ's eye. It was a very minor detail, something that most people would have missed. The trunk of the final Humvee was slightly cracked open. Germ forgot to check the trunks of the other cars, mostly because they were shut and didn't catch his eye like this one did.

Germ could feel his heart pick up a bit as the excitement came back. There was something in the trunk of the Humvee, he could _feel_ it.

He rushed over to the car and set his hands on the trunk. He threw opened the trunk and gazed upon what laid inside with amazement. His eyes lit up with joy as he retrieved his prize.

"Now THIS is what I'm talking about!" Germ proclaimed into the cool night air as he held up one of the many bundles of dynamite in victory.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed/followed/favorited this story. Every alert I get makes me want to write even more. I'd love to hear some ideas if any of you have them. I really don't like asking people to review, but if you see any flaws in my writing, be it grammar or a plot hole, please point it out. Criticism is always welcome. Again, thanks so much!**


	8. A Coming Storm

Gray sat on the ground in the bright clearing of the monstrous forest beside Possum Springs. It wasn't monstrous as in threatening, but rather the size. It was large enough to surround all of Possum Springs, after all. It went on for miles and every direction, almost untouched by people. The rocks on the ground dug into his knees, but he wasn't complaining. After everything that had happened, this was nothing. A warm breeze swept through the clearing, the leaves rustling in response. Gray lifted his head into the wind and closed his eyes. His fur blew in the wind, and it felt nice. He would even go so far as to say it was… peaceful. And for the first time in a long time, he felt at peace.

And it was all thanks to his best friend, Cole.

Gray couldn't help but smile at the thought of Cole. He was his only friend, and just the thought of him made him feel happy. It had been about eight months since they'd first met, and Gray's life had been improving ever since. Cole could do no wrong in his eyes. Cole had been the first and only person to talk to him back at their college. Gray had tried to make friends many times, but it always seemed to backfire somehow. Gray tried to fool himself into thinking he was the 'lone-wolf' type. And while the wolf part was dead on, he hated being alone. He was terrified leaving for college, but he wouldn't let it show. He would even go so far as to say isolation was his greatest fear.

 _Squeak!_

Gray snapped out of his stupor when his tiny friend decided to speak up. He returned his attention to what he was doing before he boarded a different train of thought.

"Ah, yes. How silly of me to forget my special guest. My apologies!" He clasped his hands together, akin to the way a butler would before taking orders from his master. He looked down upon the squirming figure of a small mouse. It was tied down against a wooden board of a matching size. It struggled against its bindings in desperation, but it was futile.

"I'm sorry the accommodations aren't up to your standards. With me, Cole, and his dad all cramped up in that cabin, it made it nearly impossible to sneak anything out. We wouldn't want them finding out, would we darling?" He gently stroked the mouse's tiny head.

"Now, shall we begin?" Gray asked as he retrieved a large hunting knife from its sheath of his belt. He scanned the mouse's vulnerable body for his first prize. His eyes stopped when he saw its tail flicking wildly beneath it. A devilish grin spread across his face.

"You won't be needing this, right?" He pointed to the mouse's tail as he waited for an answer. Hearing nothing in response, he lowered the knife until it hovered over the base of the tail. He slowly dug the sharp blade into the tail. Blood began to drip onto the board as the blade cut deeper. The tail separated from the mouse of the knife met the wood of the board. Gray picked up the severed limb and held it up in front of him.

"Beautiful! But I think we can do a little better." Gray tossed the tail to the side. Feeling the blade slide through the mouse's tail was nice, but he wanted something more _rewarding._ He already had his next target in mind.

"Having four legs is overrated, don't ya' think? So how about we _fix_ that." Gray put the knife beside the mouse's front left paw. Chills of pleasure and excitement ran down his spine as he snapped the mouse's paw with a single twist. The noises it made were almost too much for Gray to handle.

" _Yeeeesss, that's what I'm talking about!"_ Gray moaned in ecstasy as he watched the mouse writhed in pain. "Shall we continue?"

Gray continued slicing and stabbing the mouse for another fifteen minutes. Each severed limb and broken bone pleased the wolf more. Finally, the mouse's movements ceased, leaving Gray alone in the quiet clearing.

"Aww, well that's a shame." Gray sighed in disappointment. "We were having so much fun…" Gray shrugged and wiped the bloodied knife blade across the mouse's stomach. The already bloody fur not doing much to clean the blade. He swung the knife beside him to fling any excess blood off. Gray took a moment to admire his handiwork. He knew what he was doing could be considered 'weird' by some people, but hey, it's as they say. 'Like father, like son.'

The sun had fallen low in the sky, highlighting it a soft orange. Gray stood up and tossed the board with the mouse into the brush.

 _I should be getting back. I'd say it's about dinner time._

* * *

Gray sat with his head buried in his arms. His arms rested on his knees, which were providing the support that held his head up. It had been about half an hour since they were forced onto the roof. No one had spoken a word since Gray delivered the upsetting news to the bear and the fox, whose names he learned were Angus and Greggory. They hadn't taken the news very well, especially Gregg. After many tears and even more cursing, he went silent. He was now resting against Angus as the bear stroked his head slowly. It appeared they were in a relationship, if not, then he figured they were very close friends. Seeing the two together made him feel… jealous. He wanted somebody to be there for him, somebody to lean on, somebody to love.

 _If only Cole were here…_

Gray raised his head and looked out. Mae sat at the base of the roof. Her crying had stopped a while ago, leaving her to sit alone in silence. Angus and Gregg both agreed that she needed some time to process what had happened.

 _Mae Borowski… so she's the one._ Gray recalled the stories Cole had told him about her. From what he'd heard, she was a… unique individual. She was much different than Gray had imagined her. Gray had expected Cole's girlfriend to be absolutely _beautiful_. After all, Cole deserved only the best. But her? Gray couldn't see it.

 _It really is a shame. Cole really liked her. Once she's dead, maybe Cole will finally realize-_

"No!" Gray yelled at himself in a whisper. "Why would I think something like that? She's dying! What is wrong with me?!" Gray smacked himself in frustration. He _did_ like Cole, but he would never want him in pain. Mae's death would be hard for Cole, but at least he had him, right?

Thankfully, the zombies in the house had quieted down, leaving a mixture of grunts and growls. The only other sound was the occasional boom of thunder. The storm was almost upon them. Soon, it would be raining, and it looked to be nasty one. The roof wasn't really the _best_ place to be during a thunderstorm, but they didn't have many other options.

 _Damn, where are they anyway?_ The boredom was starting to get to him. He'd prefer a depressing conversation about death than this. He wasn't even tired, so why was he resting? Gray looked back at Mae again. She was curled up in a ball like Gray was a moment ago. Seeing her sitting there alone as she faced death, he felt bad. Though it was more pity and regret, since he had a chance to save her, but failed. But hey, he sure helped a lot more than her so called 'friends' did. They booked it out of there as soon as that door opened. Now that Gray thought about it, he was feeling rather angry as well. Mostly at Gregg and Angus's cowardly actions. They abandoned her down there. But what he was feeling was nothing compared to what Mae was going through. Her entire life was about to come to an end, so why was she alone?

 _Maybe I should keep her company. Maybe I can lighten the mood a bit, or at the very least be there for her._ Gray thought back to all the times he'd tried to make friends. They weren't pleasant memories, that was for sure, but maybe this time would be different. Well, they met unofficially, but he hadn't actually told her his name. He was hoping Cole laid the groundwork, but he wasn't holding his breath. The other two didn't seem to know him, so he expected Mae to be no different.

Gray stopped his internal complaining and slowly rose to his feet, his bones cracking as he unfurled. Angus turned to see what the wolf was doing, only to turn back to Gregg when he saw nothing of interest. Gray carefully crept down the roof so he wouldn't slip. He came to a stop beside Mae, who didn't move a muscle as he approached. Gray took a careful deep breath before he lowered himself into a sitting position. He noticed her lift her head slightly, probably to see who he was. She set it back down without saying a word.

Gray carefully thought of what he could say. He didn't want to make her more upset than she already was, so nothing about the bite. He could make small talk, but she'd probably see through that. It had to seem sincere. Actually… there was something Gray was curious about. He was just hoping it wouldn't bring up any sour memories.

"Hi, Mae." Gray spoke in a gentle tone. "I never really introduced myself. My name is Gray, Gray Robinson." He assumed she wouldn't go for a handshake, so he continued. "I grew up in a small town a few miles from Bright Harbor. I met Cole in my first year of college. He was my first and only friend throughout the rest of that year." He paused again, hoping for something in response. He decided to push a little farther.

"Look, I know this must be a tough time for you, but you can't shut your friends out. From what I've seen, they really care about you. Please, talk to me?" He waited once more. He could see her twitch a bit, as if she was debating giving a response.

"I understand things between you two... weren't the best at times, but I… had a question." Gray's confidence faltered a bit as his voice trembled a bit. Mae raised her head slightly, letting him know she was listening. Gray could see her eye. It was a deep red and wet, showing she'd been crying. Gray took another deep breath before asking the question he'd pondered for so long.

"What… what was it like? Being in a relationship with him." Gray looked away from Mae in embarrassment. The question certainly got Mae's attention. She lifted her head up to look at him. She seemed surprised.

"What?" She croaked out. She sounded dehydrated and exhausted. He could also hear how congested she was from the crying, making Gray feel even more sorry for her.

"What was it like being with him? I've always wondered." Gray mumbled again. He looked back at Mae for her response. Her eyes were wide open, as if his question were a big shock.

"O-oh. I mean, he was… okay? He was nice, caring, and... sweet. But… I always felt he deserved better than me. That caused some problems because it made me feel… inadequate. I was always jealous of how much better he was than me." Mae answered. She struggled to find the words as she explained her answer. Mae was still surprised. Does this mean that he's…?

"Do you… like him?" Mae asked. She felt she already knew the answer. Gray seemed afraid of answering the question.

"If I'm honest, I really don't know. He's done _so_ much for me, but I'm not sure if what I'm feeling is… that. Do you get what I'm trying to say?" He looked to Mae for confirmation.

"Yeah, I get it. I think I've been there before too." Mae mumbled. She sounded as if she were deep in thought. Mae had been in a similar situation before with-

"How do you feel?" Gray interrupted Mae's thought. "I really didn't want to ask, but it's been driving me crazy."

Mae took a moment before answering. "I mean, I have a bit of a stomach ache, but that's probably because of everything that's going on. Is that a symptom?" Mae felt nervous waiting for the answer.

"Not that I know of." Gray raised the back of his hand to Mae's forehead, he paused when his hand was a few inches away. "May I?" He asked, not wanting Mae to touch her without permission.

Mae nodded. Gray gently pressed his hand against her head. His face didn't change as Mae waited for his analysis. He pulled his hand back and raised an eyebrow.

"That's strange, shouldn't a fever be setting in?" He mumbled the last part. Her head didn't feel any hotter.

"So? Anything?" Mae asked.

"Thankfully nothing yet. I'm not sure why though. Maybe it takes longer in some people? I really don't know. Has anyone in your group seen someone get bitten before?" Gray asked.

"Well, I haven't. Maybe Angus?" Mae nodded at the bear. Gray turned to face Angus.

"Angus, have you seen anyone get bit?" He said loud enough for him to hear. He took a moment to think before replying.

"I haven't _seen_ it happen, but Bea said she saw a kid get bit." He responded in a similar volume.

"Did she say how long it took before they turned?" He asked.

"Yeah, I think she said a few minutes or something." Angus responded casually before realizing what he'd said. He sat up in surprise. "A few minutes… It's been, what, half an hour at this point?"

"Something like that, yeah." Gray responded while knee-deep in thought.

"And you said it takes a few hours, right?" Angus asked.

"Yeah…" Gray answered.

"So, what if it takes longer in some people? Bea said it was a kid, so maybe that's why she's okay?" He hopefully responded.

Gray couldn't see any other reason. He looked at Mae. She was shorter than most, so body size probably wasn't a factor. Was it the strength of the immune system? It was possible, but it still didn't seem like the answer. He'd seen someone get bitten, but the fever hit quickly. He was certain the fever should have set in by now.

"Yeah, that's probably it." Gray didn't sound so sure. He turned back to Mae. "Hey, let me know if you feel any different, alright?"

She simply nodded and set her head back down on her knees. Gray got to his feet and returned to his spot on the top of the roof. He sat down and propped his head up against his arms. It had been a while since he'd gotten any real sleep. He wasn't counting his little 'nap' after Bea knocked him out. He didn't expect this time to be any different, considering he was on top of a zombie-infested house. He was just hoping he wouldn't fall off. Gray let his eyes fall shut and slowly fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

Bea wheezed as she tried to inhale as much oxygen as her burning lungs would allow. She was slumped over with her hands on her knees, her throat and legs burned in a similar way. Cole was resting on his knees a few feet away, gasping as well. He was leaning back with his head up, trying to get his breathing under control. They'd been running non-stop through the eerily quiet streets of Possum Springs. They now sat at the foot of the gigantic church that overlooked the town. After a few more minutes of violent panting, the pair slowly regained their composure. Bea was the first to speak up.

"Alright, we made it." Bea said with pride at their accomplishment. She stood up straight and moved to Cole. She offered him her hand. Cole accepted her hand and grunted as he was raised to his shaky feet.

"Great. We should hurry. Do you know how to get up there?" Cole looked up at the bell that towered over them.

"Hopefully there are stairs or something." Bea said as she approached the front door. She pulled the doors open to reveal the front hall, the front desk sat at the far end of the room.

"Looks clear." Bea said to Cole. They stepped inside and shut the door behind them. It was completely silent. Not even their breathing seemed to make a sound. It was as if any noise was immediately swallowed up by the dark room. Now that the door was shut, it was far darker than Bea had expected.

"Can you see a light switch or something?" Cole whispered to Bea. She looked at each wall until a single switch caught her eye. It sat on the wall behind them to the right of the entrance. She flipped the switch.

 ** _FLICK!_**

Bea closed her eyes in anticipation of the bright light that was sure to greet them. She'd seen the numerous chandeliers hanging over them when they'd entered. They would surely be bright. But Bea opened her eyes to darkness. Nothing had changed. No lights, only darkness. She flipped the switch again… nothing.

"Shit! The power's out." Bea hissed. She punched the wall in frustration.

"It's fine, it's just a small inconvenience. We need to focus." Cole said as he placed a hand on Bea's shoulder. She let out an irritated sigh before turning back around. Cole withdrew his hand and let her lead the way. They continued through the wide hallway until they reached the door that lead into the sanctuary. Cole pushed the doors open, revealing the massive room. Stained glass windows lined either wall, letting in narrow steams of late evening light. It was brighter than the other room, but not by much. An alter stood opposite of them. To the right of the alter in the corner if the room was a wooden door. Pews were lined up in neat symmetrical rows which left an aisle in the middle.

"Oh, God." Cole whispered. He raised a hand to his face to block the retched smell that had just reached Bea's nose as well. Bea gagged as the odor assaulted her, causing a few tears to form in her eyes. She hadn't noticed the motionless figures sitting in the pews. Most of them were slumped forwards, while some of them sat with their heads leaning back over the pew. Bea could hear the whirring of flies and other insects as they feasted on the cadavers. The dim light allowed her to see the blood that stained each one of them.

"Uugh, I- I'm…" Bea's words were cut off as she fell to her knees and began vomiting. The sound of her violent retching filled the room. Cole just closed his eyes and tried his best to think of anything else. After a few seconds, Bea's vomiting had calmed down. She spat out any excess puke and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. She pushed herself back up onto her feet.

"Ugh, what the hell happened here?" Bea asked in a disgusted tone.

"I don't even wanna think about it." Cole said with his eyes still shut tightly. A raspy moan met Cole's ears. It sounded as if it were choking on something.

" **Gyuugh."**

Another groan sounded behind him. Was that Bea?

"Bea? Are you-?" Cole asked as he turned around towards the crocodile. She was still standing in the same place. Her wide eyes were glued forward, seemingly watching something. "Bea? What is it?" Cole followed her gaze until his own eyes landed on one of the corpses.

Bea held her hand up to him, telling him not to move. She moved a finger to her nose, telling him to be quiet.

"It moved." She whispered in a barely audible tone. Cole froze immediately, his eyes affixed to the figure.

 ** _Crrraaacckk_**

Bea and Cole jumped in unison when they heard what sounded like the crack of a bone from the left corner of the room. Their eyes snapped towards the new sound. They watched as one of the silhouettes slowly turned towards them. Its stiff neck cracked as it turned towards them. One after another, each figure turned towards them. Bea could feel the burning gaze of each corpse as she stiffened in fear. They were now the center of attention, and Bea had the sneaking suspicion that they wouldn't be sitting for long.

" **RUN!** " Cole yelled as he darted forward. He grabbed Bea's arms and dragged her along. Bea snapped out of her fear-induced trance and began to move on her own. Upon seeing the sudden movement, the zombies burst to life, each one of them lunging towards the center aisle. Cole and Bea weaved through the swinging hands of the nearest zombies. They made it halfway through the room before the zombies had climbed out of the pews. The aisle quickly began filling up. Cole shoved one of them with his shoulder, sending it falling to the ground, its head colliding with the corner of a pew on the way down.

A frail woman dressed in white pounced as Bea passed her. She grabbed Bea's wrist as it swung by. Bea thrusted her hand forward as hard as she could, thrusting the zombified woman over the pew and into the next aisle. Her face smashed against the solid wood of the top of the pew, her teeth shattering on impact. Her grip loosened enough for Bea to free herself from her grasp. Ahead of her, Cole pushed another zombie back into their seat as he turned towards their goal. Bea sprinted as fast as she could towards the door. Cole was the first to reach the door. He used his momentum and charged into the door. It flew from its hinges and fell against the wall on the inside. Bea quickly followed him into the small square room. Her eyes landed on a ladder which went straight up into the steeple.

"Hurry! C'mon!" Cole shouted as he stood beside the ladder. He motioned for her to go first. She quickly began her ascent, followed by Cole, who was now below her. Several zombies followed them into the room, their arms flailed below Cole and Bea as they reached for them.

 _Thank God, these things can't climb._ Bea sighed in relief as she continued to climb. She eventually reached the top of the ladder; the exit was blocked off by a metal hatch. She pushed up on it. It opened with a creak. She pulled herself onto the roof, quickly followed by Cole. They didn't say a word as they caught their breath.

"Well, looks like we aren't going back that way." Cole huffed.

"Yeah, not a chance. Geez, that was close." Bea looked down at her wrist. She signed in relief when she saw nothing. "Are you alright?" She asked.

Cole gave himself a quick look-over. He checked his arms, legs, and torso for any bites or scratches.

"I'm fine, thankfully." He answered. He looked around the small space they found themselves in. There was a gigantic bell hanging beside him, which was surrounded by thin wooden panels. Outside of the panels probably led to the actual roof. There was a rope connected to the bell which allowed it to be rung manually. "Here's what we came for." He pointed to the bell.

"Great, with our luck, I thought someone would have stolen it by now." Bea said in a half-joking tone. She kicked one of the wooden panels, sending it falling from its frame. She did this to the other three as well. She gazed out into the dead town of Possum Springs. After a minute of searching, she spotted Mae's house. She could see tiny figures moving on the roof.

"I think I see them! They're on the roof of the house." Bea pointed at the house and turned back towards Cole, who was now standing beside of her. He squinted in the direction she was pointing.

"Yeah, I think I see them. They're safe, for now, at least. We should get this show on the road." Cole said as he moved to the bell's rope.

"Yeah, let's do this." Bea agreed. She joined him beside the bell.

"This thing is gonna be loud. We ring the bell, then run like hell." Cole chuckled at his rhyme. Bea nodded in agreement and grabbed the rope. Cole grabbed the rope as well.

"We'll go on three." Cole instructed. Bea nodded again.

"Three…" Bea took a deep breath as she prepared to pull. She tightened her grip in anticipation.

"Two…"

 ** _BOOOOOM!_**

The two froze when they heard what sounded like an explosion. Whatever it was, it was loud. They could feel the shockwave from… whatever it was. It couldn't have been more than a few blocks off. Bea could see a dark cloud rise over the town.

"What the hell was that?!" Cole asked with wide eyes.

"I think it was an explosion. Do you think they heard that?" She asked with a surprised tone.

"Probably, but we should-" Cole paused. He moved away from the bell and stood at the edge of the steeple where the panel was. He was staring in the direction of the explosion, his eyes transfixed on something.

"What is it?" Bea asked with urgency. Cole tilted his head.

"Is that… Germ? What the hell is he thinking!?" Cole shouted as he stomped his foot on the ground in frustration. Standing on top of the building beside the explosion was undeniably their bird-friend Jeremy.

"Shit, c'mon! Let's get this thing ringing." Bea commanded. Cole ran back to the bell and grabbed the rope. Bea decided to skip the countdown.

" **Now!** " She yelled. The two pulled as hard as they could. The bell began to swing, the clapper struck the sides of the bell creating a deafening ring. They continued to pull until it was in full swing. Hopefully the noise would be enough to draw the zombies over to the church.

 ** _CRAAAAASH!_**

The crack of lightening caused Bea to jump. The intimidatingly dark clouds had rolled in much faster than Bea had hoped. The town was now blanketed in darkness. The first raindrops of the storm began to fall, Germ was sure to cause more explosions if given the opportunity, and their friends were in danger. It was as if everything had decided to go wrong all at once.

And they had no way out.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who was favorited/followed/reviewed, it's what keeps me writing. I would also like to give a special thanks to TheCrimsonDragon141 for pointing out some inconsistencies that were in the story. I tried to tie it all together in this chapter. As always, if you have any ideas, please let me know! I'd love to incorporate some of the ideas you have. I'd also like to apologize if this took a little longer to get out. I don't have much time for writing, but I try my best. Again, thanks. Have a nice day/night!**


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